'She felt like she had no life': Mother drowns autistic four-year-old son in bathtub because she was 'sick' of caring for him

Patricia Corby admitted drowning her son Daniel in a bathtub at their family home

Daniel Corby (Police handout)

A mother has pleaded guilty to drowning her autistic four-year-old son after the pressure of looking after him got too much.

36-year-old Patricia Corby admitted drowning her son Daniel in a bathtub at their family home in San Diego, California last March.

She then wrapped Daniel’s body in a blanket, put him on the back seat of her vehicle and drove him to a police station where she told officers what she had done. She was later arrested and charged with murder and assault on a child.

According to prosecutor Walter Escobar, Daniel’s autism was the reason his mother killed him.

Corby, who cared for her son at home, felt she had no time to herself, Escobar said.

'She felt like her whole existence was dedicated to her child,' Escobar argued. 'She felt like she had no life. She wanted Daniel to be normal.'

Corby faces a minimum 15 year prison stretch when she is sentenced on January 28 at San Diego’s County Superior Court.

Daniel’s father, Duane Corby, was in court as his wife sobbed uncontrollably during her guilty plea.

He had testified during the trial that they were $70,000 in debt because of treatment that they got for their son. Both he and Daniel's teacher said that the boy was making progress.

Corby said she tried to drown herself after drowning her son but failed.