"Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds it and cares for it" (NIV Study Bible). This means that husbands are to love their wives, make sure of their safety, and be aware of what is going on in their wives" lives. When children are brought into the family, the responsibilities of being a father are added to the obligations of being a husband. A good husband will not only take care of his wife, he will also attend to the well being of his children. Russell Yates had none of these qualities. A complete tragedy occurred in his family that could have been prevented if he had only paid more attention and thought of more than himself.
June 20, 2001, was a horrendous day for the Yates. The five children were eating breakfast in the kitchen; Russell had already left for work. Andrea was in the bathroom, filling the tub. She filled it until it was practically overflowing, just three inches from the top. Andrea then proceeded to take her children into the bathroom, one by one, where they struggled but soon were put to death by drowning. She placed the children, ranging from ages six months to seven years old, on the bed and covered them with a blanket. Seeing that they were all dead, Andrea called 9-1-1 and requested a policeman to come to her house. Then she called her husband and told him to come home. Andrea was arrested confessed to the crimes and was arrested that day ("Transcript").
To better understand what could have compelled Andrea to carry out such awful deeds, we must look at her life before any of this happened. Andrea tried to commit suicide on two different occasions after the birth of their fourth child in 1999. After her first attempt, she was diagnosed with post-partum depression and psychosis and began treatment. Less than a month later, Andrea stopped taking her medications and was found holding a knife to her neck.
