Andrea Yates is one of the most searched names in American true-crime history, and interest in her story has spiked again in 2026 following renewed documentary coverage and the 25th anniversary of the crime that defined her case. This article lays out the verified facts of her background, her trial, and her confirmed status today — without speculation.
⚠️ A note on accuracy: This case involves the deaths of five children. Every claim below is drawn from court records and multiple corroborating news sources. Where information is not publicly confirmed, this article says so directly rather than guessing.
Background: Who Is Andrea Yates and Why People Search for Her
Andrea Pia Yates is a former Houston-area nurse and mother of five who, on June 20, 2001, drowned her children — Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary — in the bathtub of the family’s home in Clear Lake, Texas. She called 911 herself and confessed immediately. The case became a landmark in American discussions of postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and the insanity defense, and it continues to draw search interest whenever anniversaries, documentaries, or legal-status updates surface.
Latest Update
As of August 21, 2026, here is what’s currently known.
Andrea Yates remains a patient at Kerrville State Hospital in Kerrville, Texas, where she has lived since January 2007. She continues to be eligible for an annual court review that could lead toward conditional release, and — consistent with her pattern for nearly two decades — she has continued to waive that review, choosing to remain in psychiatric care rather than pursue release. Her attorney, George Parnham, remains in regular contact with her and has described her as engaged in therapeutic activities, including making crafts sold to benefit a memorial fund for low-income mothers’ mental health screening.
June 20, 2026 marked 25 years since the killings, and it prompted a wave of retrospective coverage, including a documentary series examining the religious influences some argue contributed to her psychosis. No new legal development, health change, or release has been confirmed as of this date — this update reflects her ongoing, unchanged status rather than any new event.
📅 Key date: June 20, 2001 — the date of the killings and Yates’s arrest. June 20, 2026 marked the 25th anniversary.
Full Profile
Family and Early Life
Andrea Pia Kennedy was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area, the youngest of five children. She was a strong student, graduating as valedictorian of her high school class before pursuing a nursing career.
Career Path (Before 2001)
Yates worked as a registered nurse in Houston for several years before leaving her career to become a full-time mother after the birth of her first child in 1994. She has not held employment since her 2001 arrest; she now participates in supervised craft-making activities within the psychiatric facility where she is held.
Age
Andrea Yates was born on July 2, 1964, making her 62 years old as of August 2026.
Religion
Yates and her family practiced a strict, fundamentalist form of Christianity and homeschooled their children. Her defense team argued at trial that a traveling preacher, Michael Woroniecki, whose teachings the family followed on cassette tapes, contributed to delusional religious beliefs that fed her psychosis — including a belief that she needed to save her children from damnation.
Spouse/Partner
Andrea married Russell “Rusty” Yates, a NASA engineer, in 1993. The couple divorced in 2005, after her first conviction. Rusty Yates has publicly stated he does not blame her for the killings, attributing them to her untreated mental illness; reports indicate the two remain in periodic contact.
Net Worth
Andrea Yates is not a public figure with a career, business, or media income, and no net worth figure is publicly documented or applicable to her circumstances.
Parents
Yates’s parents, Andrew and Karin Kennedy, were both deceased before her 2006 retrial. Her father died in 2001, shortly before the killings; her mother died in 2005.
Height
No height figure for Andrea Yates has been documented in court records or credible reporting; this article does not include an unverified estimate.
Education
Yates graduated as valedictorian of Milby High School in Houston and went on to earn a nursing degree, working as a registered nurse before her marriage.
Hometown/State of Origin
Houston, Texas, United States.
Official Social Media
Andrea Yates does not maintain any public social media presence, and no verified official account exists for her. Any social media profile claiming to be her should be treated with skepticism.
Quick Facts Table
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Andrea Pia Yates (née Kennedy) |
| Born | July 2, 1964, Houston, Texas |
| Age (as of Aug 2026) | 62 |
| Former Occupation | Registered Nurse |
| Spouse | Russell “Rusty” Yates (m. 1993–div. 2005) |
| Children | 5 (Noah, John, Paul, Luke, Mary) — deceased, 2001 |
| Convicted | Capital murder, 2002 (later overturned) |
| Retrial Verdict | Not guilty by reason of insanity, July 26, 2006 |
| Current Location | Kerrville State Hospital, Kerrville, Texas |
| Committed Since | January 2007 |
| Attorney | George Parnham |
Case Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 20, 2001 | Andrea Yates drowns her five children and is arrested the same day. |
| March 2002 | Convicted of capital murder; sentenced to life in prison. |
| 2005 | Court of appeals overturns the conviction due to false expert testimony. |
| July 26, 2006 | Retrial jury finds Yates not guilty by reason of insanity. |
| 2006 | Committed to North Texas State Hospital. |
| January 2007 | Transferred to Kerrville State Hospital, where she remains. |
| 2008–2026 | Yates becomes eligible for annual competency/release review each year and repeatedly waives it. |
| June 20, 2026 | 25th anniversary of the killings; renewed documentary and news coverage. |
Reader Questions (FAQ)
Where is Andrea Yates now in 2026?
Andrea Yates lives at Kerrville State Hospital in Kerrville, Texas, a low-security psychiatric facility where she has been committed since January 2007. She continues to receive ongoing mental health treatment there.
Is Andrea Yates still alive?
Yes. As of August 2026, credible reporting confirms she remains alive and under psychiatric care at Kerrville State Hospital. No source reports otherwise.
Why was Andrea Yates found not guilty?
At her 2006 retrial, a jury found Yates not guilty by reason of insanity, accepting that severe postpartum psychosis left her unable to understand that her actions were wrong at the time of the killings. Her original 2002 conviction had been overturned after an appeals court found a key prosecution witness gave false testimony.
How many children did Andrea Yates kill, and what were their names?
Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children on June 20, 2001: Noah (7), John (5), Paul (3), Luke (2), and Mary (6 months).
Will Andrea Yates ever be released?
She is legally eligible for an annual review that could lead to conditional release, but she has waived that review every year for nearly two decades, choosing to remain in psychiatric care. There is no indication as of 2026 that this will change.
What happened to Andrea Yates’s husband, Rusty Yates?
Russell “Rusty” Yates divorced Andrea in 2005, following her first conviction. He has publicly said he does not hold her responsible, attributing the tragedy to untreated mental illness, and reports indicate the two have remained in periodic contact over the years.
What is postpartum psychosis, and how does it relate to this case?
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe psychiatric condition that can emerge after childbirth, involving delusions, hallucinations, and a break from reality. Yates’s defense argued — and the retrial jury accepted — that undiagnosed and inadequately treated postpartum psychosis drove her actions in 2001.
Does Andrea Yates have a Wikipedia page?
Yes, Andrea Yates has a Wikipedia page documenting her case, trials, and current commitment status, which is regularly updated as new developments occur.
Wrap-Up
Andrea Yates’s case remains one of the most consequential in American legal history for how courts and the public understand postpartum mental illness and the insanity defense. More than two decades later, the facts are stable rather than fast-moving: she remains under psychiatric commitment, has consistently chosen not to pursue release, and her case continues to be referenced by legal experts, mental health advocates, and journalists alike.
Renewed attention in 2026 — driven by the 25th anniversary of the killings and new documentary coverage — has brought fresh search interest, but no new legal or personal development has changed her circumstances. Readers searching for updates should treat any claim of a release, health crisis, or major case change with caution unless it’s confirmed by a credible news source or court record.
This page will be updated if her legal status changes, including if she ever requests or is granted a release review.
John Wood is the founder and lead editor of Biography Region. He researches and writes accurate, engaging biographies of celebrities, entrepreneurs, influencers, and public figures, delivering well-sourced, reader-focused content that informs and inspires.