Andrea and Randy Yates and four of their children. Photo: Courtesy of Yates Family/Getty
More than two decades ago, a shocking tragedy unfolded in a quiet Houston suburb. On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates, a mother of five, drowned her children one by one in the bathtub. She then calmly called 911 to report what she had done. Her oldest son, Noah, 7, tried to escape, but she pulled him back, making him the last to die.
The case quickly became one of the most infamous murder trials in U.S. history. Prosecutors painted Yates as a mother who had been plotting the murders for years, while her defense attorney, George Parnham, argued that she was deep in the grips of postpartum psychosis, an extreme mental illness that made her believe she was saving her children’s souls.
In 2002, Yates was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison with a chance for parole after 40 years. But that wasn’t the end of the story. Her conviction was later overturned, and in a 2006 retrial, she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. By 2007, Yates was moved to Kerrville State Hospital, a mental health facility in Texas, where she remains to this day by choice, continuing treatment.
Even now, her former lawyer, Parnham, still visits the children’s grave in Clear Lake, leaving fresh flowers as a tribute. He describes a large headstone with their engraved pictures, a somber reminder of lives lost too soon.
“She loved those children,” Parnham says. “In her mind, she believed she was saving them.”
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The case continues to shed light on mental illness, particularly how postpartum psychosis can push mothers to unimaginable extremes. Parnham hopes the public will gain a deeper understanding of how mental health intersects with the criminal justice system.
“Just because someone plans something doesn’t mean they aren’t legally insane,” he explains.
Andrea Yates’ story remains one of the most haunting examples of how severe mental illness can distort reality. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of early intervention and proper treatment for mothers struggling with postpartum disorders.
