Texas cult in crosshairs of killer mom’s bathtub slayings case as questions hang over family horror

A caller documentary is looking to peel backmost the curtain connected the lawsuit of a Texas parent who was convicted of sidesplitting her 5 children, with rumors circulating decades aboriginal that she whitethorn person carried retired the slayings portion nether the power of a spiritual cult. 

On June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her 5 children – John, Paul, Noah, Luke and Mary – in the bathtub of her family’s location successful the Houston suburb of Clear Lake, according to People. Immediately pursuing the killings, successful which the children ranged from six months to 7 years, Yates placed their bodies connected her furniture and called 911 to confess. 

When officers arrived astatine the family’s home, Yates reportedly met them with bedewed hairsbreadth and clothing, calmly stating, "I killed my kids." 

A 2026 Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story," looks into not lone the killings, but 1 of the wide circulated theories that Yates whitethorn person been radicalized by a spiritual cult earlier drowning her children.

KILLER MOM ANDREA YATES SPEAKS WITH EX-HUSBAND ABOUT MURDERED CHILDREN ON REGULAR BASIS: REPORT

Andrea Yates, right, sits with her lawyer George Parnham aft the not blameworthy by crushed of insanity verdict was work successful her retrial July 26, 2006, successful Houston. (Photo by Brett Coomer-Pool/Getty Images)

Following the horrific deaths, Yates made nationalist headlines arsenic investigators pored implicit claims of cult indoctrination and postpartum depression. 

"Something had to person snapped," Cheryl Johnson, Yates' neighbour astatine the time, told People instantly aft the killings. "She was nary monster."

In the years pursuing the murders, details surrounding Yates’ struggles with intelligence wellness began to surface. Her husband, Rusty Yates, reportedly wanted a large household and aboriginal told authorities she suffered from terrible slump aft the commencement of her 4th child.

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This undated household photograph shows 4 of the 5 children of Andrea Yates, who confessed connected June 20, 2001, to sidesplitting her children by drowning them successful their location successful Clear Lake, a suburb of southbound Houston, Texas. The children shown are, from left, John, Luke, Paul and Noah.  (Yates Family/Getty Images)

"He was adamant that they were going to person six kids," different neighbor, Sylvia Cole, antecedently told People. "She was truly meek and easygoing, truthful I’m not definite if it was a associated decision." 

In the months aft her 4th child, Luke, was born, Yates reportedly attempted to instrumentality her ain beingness by overdosing connected medicine prescribed to her sick father, causing her to beryllium hospitalized. 

Following her merchandise from treatment, a spokesperson for Harris County Children’s Protective Services told People that "there was nary interest connected the hospital’s portion that she was a hazard to her children, truthful it was ne'er assigned to a caseworker."

SUSPECTED CULT CREEPS PLEAD NOT GUILTY AFTER MOMS FOUND IN BURIED FREEZER

This undated household photograph shows Mary, the youngest of the 5 children of Andrea Yates, past 36, who confessed connected June 20, 2001, to sidesplitting her children by drowning them successful their location successful Clear Lake, a suburb of southbound Houston, TX.  (Photo by Phillippe Dieder/Getty Images)

Yates was subsequently prescribed antipsychotic medicine and antidepressants, but 2 weeks aft she stopped taking the drugs, her intelligence information worsened. 

During her trial, her attorney, George Parnham, argued the parent of 5 drowned her children due to the fact that she believed it "was the close happening to do." 

Both the prosecution and defence besides looked to beryllium Yates was acting nether the influential teachings of Michael Woroniecki, a arguable traveling preacher who reportedly preached that "unrighteous mothers" would spell connected to springiness commencement to "unrighteous children."

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In "The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story," Woroniecki’s teachings are often characterized arsenic a "cult," though nary charges were ever filed against the preacher successful transportation with the Yates children’s deaths. 

In a 2022 interrogation with "Good Morning America," Woroniecki called the claims "ridiculous" and denied allegations that his teachings had immoderate power implicit Yates astatine the clip of her children’s killings.

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"It came up that possibly the pastor that was astatine their religion had somehow, done his preachings, enactment immoderate thought successful her caput astir bully and evil," Nicole DeBorde, a Harris County defence lawyer and president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, told Fox News Digital. 

"And that her eventual determination to bash the horrible happening that she did was due to the fact that she believed that her children's souls were going to beryllium lost, and truthful she needed to termination them earlier they became evil to sphere their innocence truthful that they could spell to Heaven, which is again beauteous awful."

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In 2002, Yates was recovered blameworthy of superior execution and sentenced to beingness successful situation with the anticipation of parole aft 40 years down bars, according to People. However, her condemnation was reversed and Yates was retried successful 2006, erstwhile she was recovered not blameworthy by crushed of insanity. 

"It couldn't get much emotional," DeBorde said. "I mean, you person these beauteous children who are deceased. People conscionable similar you and maine had to perceive this lawsuit and had to spot the implicit devastation and demolition of this family, including these atrocious pictures of these children. And that's capable to marque astir radical truthful upset that they would render an incredibly punitive condemnation arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, conscionable due to the fact that it's truthful emotional."

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In airy of the verdict, Yates’ defence squad looked to blasted systemic failures for not lone the deaths of her 5 children, but the destiny of Yates herself. 

"On June 20, 2001, determination were six victims astatine the location of Andrea and Rusty Yates," Parnham wrote successful an effort for the Houston Chronicle successful 2013. "Her 5 children, certainly, but besides Andrea herself – each victims of the existent culprit, successful this lawsuit a terrible intelligence unwellness known arsenic postpartum psychosis."

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One twelvemonth later, Yates was sent to Kerrville State Hospital, a Texas-based intelligence facility, wherever she has since opted to stay to proceed treatment, according to People. In 2022, Yates reportedly waived her yearly reappraisal to see her merchandise and "grieves for her children" each day, Parnham reportedly said. 

"She's wherever she wants to be. Where she needs to be," Parnham said successful an interrogation with ABC News successful 2021. "And I mean, hypothetically, wherever would she go? What would she do?"

"The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story" is disposable to watercourse connected Investigation Discovery.