Illinois mother accused of killing toddler while planning Disney trip

In Joliot, Illinois, Corie Walsh has been charged with murdering her 2-year-old son Barrett after allegedly hanging him from a ceiling rafters and then trying to end her own life. Prosecutors say the attack occurred around 4 p.m. on September 1, and neighbors found Walsh in a blood-soaked bathtub after she cut her wrists and thighs with a kitchen knife. Defense attorney Robert Kerr described Walsh as a devoted mother who entered a psychotic state, noting she had just texted her mother about an upcoming Disney World vacation that had been planned since January.

Family members, including her husband Michael Walsh, have publicly stood by her, while lawyers Andrea Lyon and Kerr are pushing for psychiatric hospitalization rather than continued detention. An autopsy determined Barrett died of asphyxia due to ligature compression, and his older siblings discovered the scene before seeking help from a neighbor.