Andrea Yates Today: 5 Shocking Facts About Her Life 24 Years After The Tragedy

The case of Andrea Yates remains one of the most tragic and complex legal sagas in modern American history, a harrowing example of how severe mental illness can intersect with motherhood and the criminal justice system. As of December 15, 2025, more than two decades after the horrific events that claimed the lives of her five children, the former Houston mother continues to live a life of confinement and treatment, yet her story is far from static.

Her journey from a loving mother to a woman suffering from profound postpartum psychosis, resulting in a capital murder conviction, a dramatic retrial, and a final verdict of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI), has profoundly impacted mental health awareness and legislation. Here are the most current and surprising facts about Andrea Yates today, her life in a state hospital, and the enduring legacy of the tragedy.

Andrea Yates: A Complete Biographical Profile

The life of Andrea Pia Yates (née Kennedy) before the tragedy was marked by academic achievement and a quiet demeanor, which later contrasted sharply with the severe mental deterioration she experienced following the births of her children.

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• Full Name: Andrea Pia Yates (née Kennedy)
• Date of Birth: July 2, 1964
• Place of Birth: Houston, Texas, U.S.
• Age (as of 2025): 61 years old
• Spouse: Russell "Rusty" Yates (married 1993, divorced 2005)
• Children (all deceased): Noah (7), John (5), Paul (3), Luke (2), and Mary (6 months)
• Date of Tragedy: June 20, 2001
• Crime: Drowning her five children in the family bathtub
• Initial Verdict (2002): Guilty of Capital Murder; sentenced to life in prison
• Retrial Verdict (2006): Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI)
• Diagnoses: Postpartum Depression, Severe Postpartum Psychosis, Schizophrenia
• Current Status: Committed to a state mental health facility in Texas

1. Her Current Location: Confinement at Kerrville State Hospital

Andrea Yates is not in a prison, but rather a state mental health facility. Since her 2006 acquittal by reason of insanity, she has been a patient at the low-security Kerrville State Hospital in Kerrville, Texas.

The NGRI verdict meant the jury agreed she was severely mentally ill at the time of the crime and did not know her actions were wrong. She is committed to the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

Kerrville State Hospital is a secure, yet therapeutic, environment. Her commitment is indefinite and subject to annual judicial review, where doctors and legal teams assess her mental stability and whether she still poses a danger to herself or others.

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Her commitment is a legal mandate for treatment, not punishment. The goal is to manage her severe mental health conditions, which included a diagnosis of schizophrenia and severe postpartum psychosis.

2. She Has Repeatedly Declined Opportunities for Release

Perhaps the most surprising and telling detail about Andrea Yates' current status is her repeated decision to decline conditional release.

Under Texas law, patients committed under an NGRI verdict can apply for a conditional release, which would allow them to live outside the hospital under strict supervision, including mandatory medication and therapy.

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However, Yates has chosen to remain in the state hospital. Her long-time defense attorney, George Parnham, has confirmed that she recognizes the severity of her illness and the need for continued, intensive treatment.

This decision is seen by mental health experts as a sign of her insight into her condition and her commitment to managing her severe illness, preventing any potential relapse of the postpartum psychosis that led to the tragedy.

3. The Monthly Phone Calls with Her Ex-Husband, Rusty Yates

Despite the unimaginable pain and public scrutiny, a unique relationship has persisted between Andrea Yates and her ex-husband, Rusty Yates. The couple divorced in 2005, but Rusty has since remarried and started a new family.

In a detail that stunned many, Rusty Yates reportedly calls his ex-wife once a month. The subject of these calls is their five deceased children: Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary.

Rusty has stated that he believes Andrea is a good woman who was consumed by a devastating illness, severe postpartum psychosis, and that the calls are a way for them both to share their memories and grief for the children they lost. This ongoing, yet distant, connection highlights the complex and enduring nature of the tragedy.

4. The Enduring Legacy of the ‘Andrea Yates Bill’

While the case brought intense public fascination with the crime itself, its most important legacy is the dramatic shift in awareness and legislation regarding perinatal mental illness.

The public outcry and educational efforts by Yates’ defense team, George and Mary Parnham, led directly to the passage of a critical piece of Texas legislation: the Andrea Yates Bill (H.B. No. 1653).

Enacted in 2003, this law requires that all new mothers in Texas be provided with information about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.

The case also spurred a national conversation, forcing the medical and legal communities to recognize and better understand the devastating effects of severe perinatal mental health disorders, ultimately contributing to greater mental health awareness and advocacy across the United States.

5. The Role of False Testimony and the Retrial

Andrea Yates' initial conviction for capital murder in 2002 was overturned, a development that is often forgotten but was crucial to her eventual NGRI verdict.

Her first conviction was reversed by an appeals court because of false testimony provided by a forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Park Dietz, who testified that Yates had copied an episode from a television show, *Law & Order*, where a woman drowned her children.

It was later discovered that no such episode existed. This false testimony was deemed significant enough to have swayed the jury, leading to the reversal of the conviction.

In the subsequent 2006 retrial, a new jury heard the evidence, including the uncontested facts about her severe postpartum psychosis, and returned the verdict of Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity, securing her commitment to a state hospital instead of a life sentence in prison.

The Continuing Conversation on Postpartum Psychosis

The Andrea Yates case remains a touchstone for discussions on the insanity defense, maternal mental health, and the legal system's treatment of the mentally ill. Her current life at Kerrville State Hospital, marked by her voluntary commitment to treatment, underscores the severe and lifelong nature of her illness.

The legacy of the tragedy is a permanent call for greater compassion and better screening for postpartum depression and psychosis, ensuring that other mothers receive the help they need before a crisis occurs. Her former attorney, George Parnham, continues to advocate for mental health reform, ensuring the memory of the Yates children—Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary—serves as a catalyst for change.