At a Glance
- Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children in a Houston bathtub in June 2001
- She was found not guilty by reason of insanity after earlier capital-murder conviction
- Ex-husband Rusty Yates still calls motherhood her “favorite role” and runs a memorial site for Noah, John, Paul, Luke and baby Mary
- Why it matters: The case remains a stark reminder of postpartum psychosis and its fatal consequences
Nearly 25 years after Andrea Yates killed her five children, their father, Rusty Yates, continues to publicly honor the lives they never got to live and insists that being a mom was what his ex-wife cherished most.
The couple, who wed with plans to welcome “however many children came along,” quickly grew from two to seven. Their first son, Noah, arrived Feb. 26, 1994. Sons John, Paul and Luke followed, and the family completed the circle with daughter Mary.
In June 2001 Andrea drowned each child in the bathtub of their suburban Houston home, then phoned 911 and confessed. Prosecutors charged her with capital murder; a 2002 trial ended in conviction. On appeal she was found not guilty by reason of insanity and sent to a state mental hospital.
The Children Who Never Grew Up
Rusty memorializes every milestone his sons and daughter never reached on a website he maintains in their honor:
- Noah, the curious oldest, loved rainbows, butterflies and basketball. His father believes he might have become “a doctor, entomologist, florist, triathlete or artist.”
- John, born Dec. 15, 1995, admired big brother Noah, played T-ball and was homeschooled by Andrea. Rusty thought he could have been “a football linebacker or construction foreman.”
- Paul, nicknamed Bull Moose and Rocket Man, danced to music and watched the NASA channel. His parents called him “Perfect Paul.”
- Luke, fearless except during thunderstorms, helped in the garden and chased his brothers through the house. He was 2 when he died.
- Mary, only six months old, rode in shopping carts like “a little princess” surrounded by her protective brothers. Rusty imagines she would have grown into “a tomboy.”
A Mother’s Descent
Andrea had been diagnosed with postpartum depression and later postpartum psychosis, conditions that can trigger hallucinations and delusions. After a “nervous breakdown” following Luke’s birth in 1999, doctors warned the couple against having more children. The Yateses still conceived Mary.
During the 2002 trial, jail psychiatrist Melissa Ferguson testified that Andrea believed she was evil and that killing the children fulfilled a biblical prophecy, according to the Midland Reporter-Telegram.
Rusty told HBO Max’s The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, which premiered in January 2026, that the couple’s pre-marital agreement was simple: “We considered each one a blessing, and we’d have however many came along.”
On the memorial site he pictures an alternate future: “If our family had continued, they would have grown up, gone to school, started working, and had families of their own.”
Life After Tragedy
Andrea remains in a high-security mental health facility. Rusty, who eventually divorced her, keeps the children’s memories alive online and in interviews. He still frames motherhood as Andrea’s “favorite role,” even as he grapples with the violence that ended five young lives.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental-health challenges, emotional distress, substance-use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24/7.
