Houston Mother Found Legally Insane in Drowning of Five Children
Case summary
On June 20, 2001, Yates drowned her five children, ages 6 months to 7 years, in the bathtub of the family's Houston-area home and then called police. She was convicted of capital murder in 2002 and sentenced to life in prison, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in 2005 because of erroneous expert testimony. At her 2006 retrial, a jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity, and she was committed to state psychiatric care. She has been treated at Kerrville State Hospital since 2007 and has repeatedly waived the annual review hearings that could consider her release. Her case remains the most widely cited U.S. example of postpartum psychosis in the criminal courts and spurred changes in maternal mental health awareness.
Mental-health context
Yates had a long documented history of postpartum psychosis, postpartum depression, and psychiatric hospitalizations, including suicide attempts after earlier births; doctors had warned of psychosis risk with further pregnancies.
Status / outcome
Not guilty by reason of insanity (2006 retrial); committed to state psychiatric hospital, where she remains
Sources
- https://www.cnn.com/us/andrea-yates-fast-facts
- https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/local/2026/06/20/555096/andrea-yates-children-drowning-anniversary-mental-health-depression-postpartum-psychosis/
- https://www.today.com/parents/moms/andrea-yates-mental-hospital-review-rcna23250
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