Where Is Rusty Yates Now? Inside His Life 25 Years After His Wife Andrea Yates Drowned Their 5 Children By Samantha Stutsman 14

Rusty Yates’ life was forever changed on June 20, 2001.

On that day 25 years ago, his wife, Andrea Yates, drowned the couple’s five children in a bathtub inside their Houston home.

Andrea had struggled for years with postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis, but ID’s The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, which premiered Jan. 6 and is available to stream on HBO Max, also explores the possibility that she was manipulated by the religious teachings of Michael Woroniecki, the leader of what some have characterized as a “cult.” 

After drowning Noah, 7, John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and 6-month-old Mary, Andrea called the police to confess. In March 2002, she was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. That verdict was later reversed, and in July 2006, Andrea was found not guilty by reason of insanity. She has resided in a mental health facility in Texas since 2007.

Despite the unimaginable loss, Rusty has said he never blamed Andrea for the deaths, maintaining that without her severe mental illness, she would not have hurt their children.

“Being a mother was Andrea’s favorite role,” he said in the docuseries. “She was an awesome mother.”

So, where is Rusty Yates now? Here’s everything to know about the Texas father and his relationship with Andrea Yates today.

Rusty Yates is a NASA computer engineer 

Rusty has worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a computer engineer since 2001, per his LinkedIn.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science and mathematics from Auburn University, as well as a law degree from the University of Houston. It was back in college that Rusty was first introduced to Woroniecki.

“I’d never seen that kind of message where you don’t have to belong to a church … to find God. I admired that,” he said of Woroniecki’s teachings in the docuseries. “It wasn’t a cushy, comfy kind of message. I liked the fact that it was a little bit edgier.”

Rusty and Andrea Yates married in 1993

Rusty and Andrea first crossed paths in 1989 and married four years later in 1993. Early in their relationship, Rusty introduced Andrea to the religious teachings of Woroniecki. The couple immersed themselves in his philosophies, maintaining correspondence with the controversial leader.

“Andrea and I saw ourselves as a family that had traditional values. We did read the Bible,” Rusty explained in The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story. “[Woroniecki] would almost be like a … spiritual advisor.”

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As they built their family, Rusty and Andrea raised their five children — Noah, John, Paul, Luke and Mary — according to the beliefs promoted by the Woroniecki family. Andrea stayed home to homeschool the children, a decision rooted in Woroniecki’s belief that public schools were satanic.

“I think we each had a different perspective on that. I thought of it more from a learning standpoint. Andrea was afraid of the negative influence in school. She didn’t want them exposed to that at such a young age,” Rusty said in the docuseries.

Over time, as Rusty focused on work and helping care for their growing family, he drifted out of contact with Woroniecki. Andrea, however, remained deeply engaged — continuing to write letters, read his newsletters and listen to his recorded sermons on cassette tapes, per the docuseries.

Rusty intervened when Andrea attempted suicide in 1999

After the birth of their fourth child in 1999, Andrea suffered a “nervous breakdown,” per Rusty, and she later attempted suicide. Doctors diagnosed her with postpartum depression, and she was hospitalized and treated with a combination of medications that significantly stabilized her mental health. At the time, physicians cautioned that another pregnancy could trigger a serious relapse.

“After we got married, we discussed children and said we considered each one a blessing, and we’d have however many came along. That was our plan,” Rusty shared.

Despite the warning, Andrea and Rusty went on to expand their family. In 2000, they welcomed their youngest child, daughter Mary.

“I just thought, ‘OK, she’ll get sick. Worst case, it’ll be like a flu. She’ll get treated with the same medicines that worked for her before, and we’ll be done. Simple enough,’ ” Rusty said in the docuseries. “If the risk of having another child was the flu, that was a risk worth taking.”

Andrea called Rusty at work after drowning their five children

Following Mary’s birth, Andrea’s mental health deteriorated rapidly. Rusty recognized the severity of the situation and admitted her to a mental hospital. She was eventually discharged, with doctors suggesting that she might stabilize once she returned home.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but Andrea was having visual hallucinations, auditory hallucinations. It led to the delusions of having the devil in her,” Rusty said. “Andrea didn’t tell me what was going on in her head. Nobody thought the kids were at any risk at all.”

That belief was shattered on June 20, 2001, when Andrea drowned the couple’s five children in a bathtub at their Houston home.

“I was at work, maybe an hour, and got a call from Andrea. She’s like, ‘You need to come home.’ My heart sank because I’m like, ‘Oh no, what has she done?’ ” Rusty recalled.

He continued, “When I got to the house, the police wouldn’t let me inside. Andrea was still inside the whole time. I remember banging on the back door, saying, ‘How can you do this? I don’t understand.’ I was heartbroken.”

Rusty testified on Andrea’s behalf in court

During Andrea’s first trial in 2002, Rusty took the stand in her defense. He believed she should not spend the rest of her life behind bars for actions committed while severely mentally ill.

“I took a lot of heat for Andrea. People can think what they want. They didn’t live our life,” he said in the docuseries. “I thought the whole time, ‘How ridiculous is this? Here’s a loving mother who would never, ever have harmed our children in any way had she not been psychotic, and the state is prosecuting her for capital murder.”

Andrea was ultimately convicted of capital murder — a decision that was reversed in 2006 after a key prosecution witness acknowledged making an error while testifying. At her retrial, Andrea was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

“I thought, ‘Wow, the result of not guilty for reason of insanity was quite a relief.’ I was super grateful,” Rusty said in the docuseries.

Where is Rusty Yates now?

Rusty and Andrea divorced in March 2005. The following year, he married Laura Arnold, according to ABC News. Rusty and Laura welcomed a son together in March 2008, though their marriage later ended in divorce in 2015.

In a 2016 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Rusty shared that he continues to maintain contact with Andrea, calling her once a month and visiting her once a year at the Kerrville, Texas, mental hospital where she lives.

In the years since the killings, Rusty has faced public scrutiny and blame for his wife’s actions — criticism echoed by Woroniecki himself.

“What about Rusty? I heard him blame the hospitals, the clinics, the postpartum depression, the drugs. Could you ever stand up and say, ‘I’m looking in the mirror and seeing the guy who is responsible?’ I should have shepherded my wife,’ ” Woroniecki said in a television interview played in the docuseries.

In The Cult Behind the Killer: The Andrea Yates Story, Rusty expressed regret over introducing Andrea to Woroniecki, though he stopped short of labeling his teachings a “cult.”

“Looking back, I miscalculated the effect on Andrea. Now, I believe her delusions could well have been influenced by her exposure to [Woroniecki],” he said. “If I could do it all over, I would not have introduced her to them.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.