What Happened to Andrea Yates? Where is Andrea Yates Now? Why did Andrea Yates Drown Her 5 Children?

What Happened to Andrea Yates?

Andrea Yates is an American woman from Houston, Texas. In 2001, she tragically drowned her five children in their bathtub. This happened because she was suffering from severe postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and schizophrenia, which affected her thinking and behavior.

During her trial in 2002, the district attorney wanted the death penalty for Yates. She was found guilty of capital murder but was sentenced to life in prison instead of death. However, this verdict was later overturned due to false testimony from a psychiatric expert.

In 2006, Yates had a retrial where the jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was then committed to a high-security hospital in Texas for treatment. Later, she was moved to a lower-security mental hospital where she continued to receive medical care.

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Who is Andrea Yates?

Andrea Yates was born in Houston, Texas, as Andrea Pia Kennedy. She grew up in a family of five children, with her mother being a German immigrant and her father's parents coming from Ireland. During her teenage years, Yates struggled with bulimia and depression, and she once talked to a friend about suicide when she was 17 years old.

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She excelled in school, graduating as valedictorian from Milby High School in 1982. Yates was also captain of the swim team and held a leadership role in the National Honor Society. After high school, she completed a pre-nursing program at the University of Houston and then graduated from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Yates worked as a registered nurse at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from 1986 to 1994. Her life took a tragic turn in 2001 when she drowned her five children in their bathtub, which she later attributed to severe mental health issues including postpartum depression and psychosis.

Andrea Yates Husband

Andrea Yates met Russell "Rusty" Yates, a NASA engineer, in the summer of 1989. They moved in together and got married on April 17, 1993. Rusty Yates was a devout evangelical Christian who, along with Andrea, wanted to have as many children as they could. They bought a house in Friendswood, Texas, and had five children together.

After Andrea's legal troubles and imprisonment, Rusty Yates remarried in 2006, just before Andrea's retrial. He married Laura Arnold in a private ceremony. They have one child together. Rusty and Andrea divorced in March 2005, three years after Andrea was sentenced to life in prison for drowning their children.

Andrea Yates Children

Andrea Yates and Russell "Rusty" Yates had five children together. Their first child, Noah, was born in February 1994. They moved to Florida briefly before returning to Houston. By the time their third child, Paul, was born, they had bought a motor home.

After the birth of their fourth child, Luke, Andrea's depression returned. She experienced a severe breakdown in June 1999 and attempted suicide. She was hospitalized and prescribed medications, including an anti-psychotic drug called Haldol, which initially helped stabilize her.

Despite warnings from her psychiatrist not to have more children due to her mental health, Andrea became pregnant with their fifth child shortly after stopping Haldol. Mary was born in November 2000.

Andrea's mental state deteriorated after her father's death in March 2001. She stopped taking medication, became increasingly disturbed, and on multiple occasions showed signs of planning harm to herself and her children. Tragically, in June 2001, she drowned all five of her children in their bathtub.

Where is Andrea Yates Now?

Andrea Yates has been at Kerrville State Hospital, a mental facility in Kerrville, Texas, since January 2007. She has chosen not to undergo yearly reviews to determine if she can leave the facility. Instead, Yates continues to receive treatment there and remains connected with her defense attorney, George Parnham.

She spends her time in the facility crafting items like aprons and cards, which are sold anonymously to support the Yates Children Memorial Fund. This fund, established by Parnham and his wife, focuses on women's mental health issues, especially postpartum mental health. Andrea Yates, now 57 years old, spends her days in treatment and reflects on her children, whom she lost tragically.

Why did Andrea Yates Drown Her 5 Children?

According to Steve Rubenzer, a forensic psychologist who interviewed her, Yates thought that by ending their lives, her children would be spared further suffering and would go to paradise. Her actions were influenced by severe mental health issues, including postpartum psychosis and schizophrenia, which distorted her thinking and led to this tragic event.