Andrea Yates Killed Her 5 Kids, 'Monster Mom' Thought The Devil Lived Inside Her, Know Full Story

Nearly 25 years have passed since the citizens of Houston, Texas, witnessed one of the most harrowing crimes in modern U.S. history, and a 37-year-old mother, Andrea Yates, became known as the "monster mom". Now, the world is revisiting the horrifying case with HBO Max's three-part Investigation Discovery series, The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story.

Airing on January 6, 2026, the documentary re-examines the Andrea Yates case, unearthing the factors that twisted the psyche of a woman who once had a bright future ahead. Here's the shocking true story of Andrea Yates, her unimaginable crime, and where she is now.

What did Andrea Yates do?

A mother is the biggest protector and confidant, someone a child can turn to without fear. But for the Yates children, that sense of safety was tragically undone by a mother who long suffered with severe mental illness, isolation, and beliefs that would ultimately lead to one of the most devastating cases in American history. 

On June 20, 2001, in the Houston suburb of Clear Lake, Texas, Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children, Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary, in the family bathtub. The oldest, Noah, was 7 years old, whereas the youngest, Mary, was only 6 months old. Afterwards, Yates made a chilling 911 call demanding a police officer to come to her house along with an ambulance. Around eight minutes later, she called her husband, Russell "Rusty" Yates, and her calmness was all that he needed to know that something was seriously wrong.

The first to reach the scene was Officer David Knapp, who had been asked to do a 'welfare check' after the vague 911 call. When he reached, a wet, white female with long, dark hair met him at the front door to the single-level brick home. She was wide-eyed and breathing heavily. Looking him straight in the eye, Andrea said:

"I just killed my kids."

When Knapp and the other officers arrived, they found one child face down in the bathtub and the others lying out beneath a sheet in the master bedroom. Investigators later determined it was completely Andrea's own doing, and it all happened within the brief window between the time her husband left for work and her mother-in-law's arrival.

Sergeant David Svahn, who had arrived at Yates' house after getting a 'code one' call, recalled the heartrending scene when he saw the children, three of them showing signs of probable lung rupture. Recalling Rusty's reaction to the tragedy, Svahn said:

"...'What did she do to my kids? What did she do to my kids?' He said his wife had called him at work and told him it was time to come home. His wife told him she had hurt all five of the kids and that she finally did it. I told him all five of his children had passed away. He fell to the ground and pounded the ground, and began screaming."

Even the investigators in the scene were left stunned at the gruesome sight, with some officers later admitting they wanted to hurl and scream along with the devastated father. The case stunned the country and ignited widespread debate about mental illness, motherhood, and criminal responsibility.

Who was Andrea Yates? Meet the bright woman she was before her tragic downfall

Andrea was a woman of extraordinary calibre with a bright future ahead. Born Andrea Pia Kennedy in Houston in 1964, she was a standout student and graduated as a valedictorian at Milby High School in 1982. Born into a devout Roman Catholic household, she was the youngest of five children and was known to be a quiet woman with a strong academic drive. 

After completing nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Andrea joined the MD Anderson Cancer Center as a registered nurse. Her colleagues also described her as a compassionate woman who was dedicated to providing the utmost patient care. 

Everything went on smoothly until she married Rusty Yates in 1993. After marriage, Andrea left her nursing job to focus on raising their growing family. Between 1994 and 2000, Andrea and Rusty welcomed five children, and in the meantime, embraced a lifestyle heavily influenced by conservative religious teachings and traditional gender roles.

Why did Andrea Yates kill her children? The cult theory explained

Things were going perfectly fine for the Yates couple until Andrea's pregnancy. After the birth of her fourth child, Luke, in 1999, she suffered a terrible case of postpartum depression. It became so severe that she had to be admitted to the hospital after Rusty found her holding a knife to her neck. 

In the initial months of her treatment, Andrea showed significant improvement, but her condition turned for the worse when she stopped taking medication. The family was well aware of her condition and still opted for a fifth pregnancy, and their orthodox belief in having multiple children played a role in it. Their fifth child, Mary, was born in November 2000.

In the months following Mary's birth, Andrea's mental health deteriorated to the extent that she started experiencing delusions and hallucinations. She started believing that the devil resided within her and that she was failing God as a mother. Adding to this belief, as popularly believed, was Michael Woroniecki, a preacher infamously known for his apocalyptic preaching style.

According to Woroniecki's former followers, his teachings were extreme and based on fear and isolation. In Andrea's case, journalist and author Suzy Spencer found that she was heavily influenced by the teachings of Woroniecki and his wife, Rachel, who reinforced the fear of the devil within her and led her to believe that she was an "unrighteous mother" whose children needed to be killed to prevent them from going to hell.

The Cult Behind the Killer highlights numerous letters Andrea received from Rachel Woroniecki, which reinforced themes of spiritual failure and maternal responsibility. Experts say these messages may have intensified Andrea's psychosis. After her arrest, ABC News reported that she urged jail doctors to shave her head to see the number 666 (Devil's number) on her scalp, repeatedly claiming that Satan had possessed her.

Where is Andrea Yates now?

In 2002, the Court convicted Andrea Yates of capital murder and sentenced her to life in prison. However, in 2005, the conviction was overturned when the Court found that Dr. Park Dietz, the prosecution expert in the case, gave false testimony about a non-existent Law & Order episode, which may have influenced the jury. After a retrial in 2006, Yates was found "not guilty by reason of insanity".

Today, almost 25 years later, Andrea remains admitted to Texas's Kerrville State Hospital. She has consistently declined to seek release or transfer and is expected to remain there for the rest of her life. According to her longtime attorney, she has made progress in treatment and now helps other patients. Her husband, Rusty, eventually divorced her and remarried.

More than two decades later, the Andrea Yates case continues to force uncomfortable conversations about faith and the accountability of spouses and families when it comes to children and mental health.

Read Next: The Cult Behind The Killer: Where Is Andrea Yates' Husband, Russell Now? Is He In Contact With Her?

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