ID Docuseries Revisits Andrea Yates Case and Influences

A new docuseries premiering on Investigation Discovery revisits the tragic case of Andrea Yates, who drowned her five young children in their Houston-area home on June 20, 2001, amid severe mental illness and religious influences that have long been scrutinized.

The three-part series, titled The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, airs back-to-back on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. It draws on court records, medical history and interviews with key figures, including Yates's ex-husband, Russell "Rusty" Yates, and former followers of preacher Michael Woroniecki, whose teachings shaped the couple's worldview. The program explores how Woroniecki's messages of fear, isolation and impending judgment may have exacerbated Yates's postpartum psychosis, though he has consistently denied any role in the deaths.

Yates, then 36, called emergency services after the incident in the family's Clear Lake suburb residence and confessed to police upon their arrival. Officers found the children—Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2; and Mary, 6 months—either in the bathtub or covered in the master bedroom, with no evidence of a struggle. Yates had acted alone...