Michael Woroniecki Reportedly Inspired Andrea Yates to Drown Her Children — Where Is He Now?

A new documentary about street preacher Michael Woroniecki, and the mother of five who drowned her children, Andrea Yates, has people wondering where he is today. The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story premiered on Jan. 6, 2026, on the Investigation Discovery channel, and it shares the tragic story of the 2001 murders.

Michael was the spiritual advisor of the mother of five. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Mich., as a Catholic, and he began preaching in the 1980s after he attended seminary.

The preacher founded his own independent ministry that focused on street preaching on college campuses and other public spaces. According to Prime Timer, his sermons included messages warning parishioners of impending doom, hellfire, and satanic influences. He is believed to have influenced the drownings, which occurred in a bathtub. So, where is he now?

Michael is still preaching throughout the United States, and his website includes a disclaimer about his former parishioner who drowned her children.

"Andrea Yates was tried in a Texas court and found guilty for the tragic deaths of her children," reads the disclaimer. "After an extensive trial, it was determined, under oath and in official court records, that her actions were the result of severe mental illness compounded by psychiatric drug issues."

"I was never called to testify, questioned, or implicated in any way," he continued. "I had nothing whatsoever to do with anything concerning Andrea Yates, whom I only met briefly three times. Authorities concluded I had no involvement whatsoever in her actions."

Russell Yates was Andrea's husband, and he met the preacher in college. His preaching reportedly inspired Yates to drown her five children in the bathtub of her Houston, Texas home. She had been previously diagnosed with postpartum depression, and her husband was advised by her psychiatrist not to leave her alone. Yates was also diagnosed with psychosis, postpartum psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoid personality disorder.

A forensic psychiatrist who evaluated her after the deaths testified that Yates believed that Satan wanted the souls of her children, but if she killed them first, they would go to heaven, and Satan would be executed. Yates confessed to drowning her five children, who were all under the age of 7 — Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary, who was a 6-month-old infant.

Yates was found guilty of capital murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. However, the conviction was appealed, and she was found not guilty by reason of insanity four years later. She currently resides in the Kerrville State Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. Russell divorced Yates in 2005 but defended her throughout the years.

"She's a victim; she's not a criminal," he told the late Larry King on CNN. "She needs treatment. She doesn't need punishment."