About this episode

The episode discusses the tragic case of Andrea Yates, who drowned her five children, exploring the psychological and societal implications of her actions.

“I just killed my children.” On June 6th, 2001 those words were uttered to a 911 operator in suburban Houston by Andrea Yates. She had just drowned her 5 children, ages 6 months to 7 years, in her bathtub. No one who knew Andrea could picture the devoted mother capable of such an unbelievable crime or imagine the terror in the eyes of her trusting children. As their father, Rusty, struggled between overwhelming grief and loyalty to his imprisoned wife, an outraged nation struggled with an unfathomable question. Why were theykilled? The book, Breaking Point , provides a harrowing portrait of the suffocating darkness at the heart of one all-American family, and exposes the private demons that pushed a mother over the edge. My guest is Suzy Spencer, the authorof Breaking Point.

People in this episode

Host: James Sulanowski

Guest: Suzy Spencer

Topics covered

• true crime
• mental health
• family tragedy
• maternal filicide
• legal issues
• psychological analysis

Keywords

• Andrea Yates
• children
• drowning
• mental illness
• true crime
• Breaking Point
• Suzy Spencer
• family
• tragedy

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Breaking Point

Places: Houston

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• KILLER LIES · January 9, 2026 · 41 min
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