Here's What Happened to Andrea Yates After She Drowned Her Five Children in a Bathtub

Something was wrong with Andrea Yates. In the weeks leading up to the day she drowned her five children in a bathtub, Yates had been hospitalized at Devereux Texas Treatment Network in League City, per the Houston Chronicle. She was suffering from severe depression following the death of her father in March 2001 but had issues prior to that. Yates was later diagnosed with psychosis, postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoid personality disorder.

She was evaluated by Dr. Park Dietz, who believed Yates's struggles with mental illness began in 1994 after the birth of her first child. Five years later, Yates was dealing with paranoid delusions. The day of the murders, Yates's psychiatrist from Devereux advised her husband not to leave her alone. During the one hour she was by herself, Yates killed her kids. She confessed to the crimes. Where is she now? Here's what we know.

Yates was represented by attorney George Parnham, who still visits his client. In January 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the murders, Parnham spoke with KHOU about Yates's life nearly a quarter of a century later. At the age of 84, Parnham had long since retired from the legal world, but he still took the time to visit with his former client.

Yates has been at Kerrville State Hospital since January 2007. Each year, Yates is offered the option to attend hearings that would determine if she is eligible for release, per CNN. She always declines. When Parnham sees Yates, the two usually have a meal together. "She likes Cracker Barrel," he said, "so I go get lunch at Cracker Barrel, and we'll sit on the back and have lunch."

Parnham confirmed that Yates wants to stay at the hospital and has even made some progress. She helps other patients with their issues and acts as a "go-between." He and his wife also take the time to visit the graves of Yates's children, where they usually leave flowers. The lawyer recalled the first time he met Yates. She repeatedly asked him not to leave her alone. He hasn't.

In January 2026, a documentary titled The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story dives into her religious beliefs at the time of the murders. Dr. Phillip Resnick, a forensic psychiatrist, evaluated Yates in 2001, reported CNN. During her second trial, he testified that Yates knew what she was doing was illegal but believed it was the right thing to do.

Resnick said Yates believed in a delusion that Satan wanted the souls of her children, and if she killed them first, they would go to heaven. "Satan, the one and only Satan, not just a demon, but the singular Satan, would be executed. ... It would fulfill the prophecy, the final battle, Armageddon," said Resnick.

The documentary explores the life of a traveling preacher named Michael Woroniecki, who was the Yates's spiritual advisor. This is not the first time his name has been linked to this story. Back in March 2002, Woroniecki told Good Morning America about a time in 1998 when he told the couple they were going to h--l. "Of course, because everybody is going to h--l," said Woroniecki, who does not think his preaching pushed Yates to kill her children.

During Yates's first trial, Parnham argued that Yates got the idea about Satan wanting her children from Woroniecki. The preacher said that was ridiculous.