Frankfort Mom Who Killed Toddler Claimed He Was 'The Anti-Christ': Prosecutors

FRANKFORT, IL — A Frankfort mother accused of killing her 2-year-old son told police she did it because he was "the anti-Christ," according to a petition to deny pretrial release for the 40-year-old mom of four.

Court documents identify the toddler as Barrett Walsh, noting that his mother also referred to him as "Bear."

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The documents provide further details on the murder, which happened Tuesday in Frankfort. The State's Attorney's Office is asking that pretrial release be denied as Walsh poses "a specific, real and present threat to her husband and her living three children."

• Frankfort Mother Charged With 2-Year-Old's Murder: Police

Walsh has made statements about harming her other children, as well as her husband, court documents state.

Court documents note that based on the age of the victim of this case, the sentencing range would be 60 to 100 years if she's convicted. She is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.

According to court documents, Frankfort Police arrived at the home in the 22700 block of Brook Stone Court at 4:04 p.m. for a call of an injured 2-year-old. A neighbor was performing CPR on the toddler after finding him hanging from a rafter in the basement.

An autopsy was done on Wednesday, and preliminary findings indicate the child died from "asphyxia due to ligature compression of the neck."

An infant was also present in the home at the time and was unharmed, prosecutors said. Two school-age older children returned home around the time the victim was found and were also unharmed, according to court documents, which said Walsh's husband was out of state at the time of the murder but flew home that day.

When at the home, prosecutors say officers were directed to a bathroom, where Walsh had harmed herself with a knife. The same neighbor who had attempted to help the toddler had found Walsh fully clothed in the bathtub with self-inflicted injuries. Prosecutors said the neighbor was holding a towel to one of Walsh's wounds.

According to court documents, the neighbor said they had found Walsh in the bathtub and had taken a knife from her before Walsh said that "Bear" was in the basement.

Walsh told police officers she did this to Barrett because he was the "devil" and the "anti-Christ," according to court documents.

Witnesses told police that Walsh had become invested in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The case, involving a mother in Massachusetts who killed three of her children, resulted in a mistrial on Friday.

According to court documents, Walsh was actively discussing the case with friends just hours before she killed her son.

Walsh will appear in court on Sept. 8 in front of Judge Amy Bertani Tomczak. Walsh is currently in custody at Will County Adult Detention Facility.