The Massachusetts mother who is accused of strangling her three young children was allegedly ‘overmedicated’ on a variety of prescription drugs, causing her to have disturbing thoughts.
Midwife Lindsay Clancy, 32, who was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, was injured when she jumped out of the window of her Duxbury home.
The mother of three killed her children, Callan, eight months, Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, after her husband Patrick left the family home in Massachusetts to get take-out.
Clancy and Callan initially survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt – with the midwife jumping out of a window on the property’s top floor – and the tot passing away on Friday.
The mother’s defense attorney is now saying that thoughts of suicide and homicide were on Clancy’s mind due to taking far too many prescription drugs.
Midwife Lindsay Clancy (pictured left), 32, who was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, was injured when she jumped out of the window of her Duxbury home
Kevin J. Reddington told the Boston Globe that she did not overdose but Clancy and husband Patrick had tried to get help for how the prescriptions were making her feel.
‘One of the major issues here is the horrific overmedication of drugs that caused homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation,’ Reddington said. ‘No overdose [by Lindsay.] They [Lindsay and her husband Patrick] went to doctors repeatedly saying ‘Please help us.’ This was turning her into a zombie…The medications that were prescribed were over the top, absolutely over the top.’
Reddington says that between October and January, Clancy was prescribed a dozen medications: zolpidem which is sold under the brand name Ambien, clonazepam, which is sold under the brand name of Klonopin, diazepam which is sold under the brand name Valium, fluoxetine which is sold under the brand name Prozac, lamotrigine, which is sold under the brand name Lamictil, lorazepam, which is sold under the brand name Ativan, mirtazapine, which is sold under the brand name Remeron, quetiapine fumarate, which is sold under the brand name Seroquel, and trazodone.
He says the overmedication is the key to his defense when Clancy is tried on three counts of murder.
‘The black letter law definition of lack of criminal responsibility in Massachusetts says that if a person suffers from a mental disease or defect. In Massachusetts, if you have involuntary intoxication, that would be a defect.’
Clancy remains in a Boston hospital room, unable to walk or get out of bed and with an unclear prognosis, according to Reddington, who said that he’s hired a toxicologist to build their defense.
‘It’s over medication, absolutely over medications – possibly with a component of post-partum depression.’
‘She had medical care and treatment on a regular basis,’ he added. ‘And her husband was very proactive in trying to protect her and help her with the doctors’ medication she was prescribed. They went through hell — and they didn’t come back.’
The mother of three killed her children, Callan, eight months, Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, after her husband Patrick left the family home in Massachusetts to get take-out
He said that his client is not only unable to walk or get out of bed – though he wouldn’t use the word ‘paralyzed’ – but is also not in good ’emotional shape.’
Reddington was asked if Patrick Clancy had ever been warned about leaving the children alone with Lindsay.
‘No,” he said. ‘Not that I’m aware of. Course not. He loved her. He knew she was a great mother, a fantastic person.’
She will be arraigned via Zoom on Tuesday, Reddington said and claims he will ask Plymouth District Court to allow Clancy to await trial in a hospital or mental health facility rather than a prison.
Clancy and Callan initially survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt – with the midwife jumping out of a window on the property’s top floor – and the tot passing away on Friday.
Duxbury Police have confirmed that she is ‘improving daily’ after remaining in the hospital, adding that she has ‘spoken to friends and family’.
Duxbury Police have confirmed that Lindsey Clancy is ‘improving daily’ after remaining in the hospital, adding that she has ‘spoken to friends and family’
Her horrified husband, Patrick, 34, discovered Clancy lying unconscious outside their home when he returned from work at around 6pm on Tuesday and called 911
Plymouth County District Attorneys’ office are working on scheduling an arraignment with police for Clancy.
However, she will only appear in court when she is physically able to do so, with her husband issuing a heartfelt plea for people to forgive his wife.
Horrified Patrick, 34, discovered Clancy lying unconscious outside their home at about 6pm on January 24 and called 911.
He said: ‘Any parent knows, it’s impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them.
‘The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I’m completely lost without them,’ he wrote.
‘I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have.
‘The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone — me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients.
‘The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.’
Heartbreaking pictures show Cora, right and Dawson, left, smiling together. The siblings were pronounced dead at hospital
Father Patrick Clancy was out for 25 minutes to grab takeout for his family when he found his wife, Lindsay, unconscious after dropping from their second-floor window. Inside their home, daughter Cora (left) and son Dawson (right) were dead
Her grandmother, Rita Musgrove, added that ‘everything is so difficult’ and the family doesn’t know how the tragedy will play out.
Investigators are probing if the midwife was suffering from postpartum psychosis, as she was on leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Friends of the Clancy family have set up a GoFundMe to support Patrick and assist in paying for medical bills, funeral bills and legal bills.
So far it has raised $994,601 of the $1million goal, with the page adding: ‘This assistance is especially needed because Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy.’
A vigil took place last week at the Holy Family Church in Duxbury, with a priest saying that the mother had been ‘trying to deal with mental illness’ before becoming ‘overwhelmed’.
Plymouth County District Attorney confirmed that Callan died at a Boston area hospital on Friday morning
Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival to hospital
Duxbury Police work at the scene where the two children were found dead on Tuesday night
Officers arrived at the family home on Tuesday after a frantic Patrick had discovered his wife unconscious on the ground below a second-floor window.
They discovered the three young children ‘unconscious’ upstairs ‘with obvious signs of trauma’.
Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said it appeared that they had all been strangled.
Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, while Callan was given CPR at the scene.
Clancy will be arraigned on charges including two counts of homicide and three each for strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon for the deaths of her two children.
It is expected that further charges will be added for the death of Callan.
Cruz said they will now conduct autopsies to determine how the children died and findings will be made public when a death certificate is issued.
Clancy, pictured with Cora as a baby, was a midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital
Cops discovered the three young children ‘unconscious’ upstairs ‘with obvious signs of trauma’ on Tuesday evening
Neighbors and those who do not know the family have added their own offerings
He said of the family: ‘I cannot begin to fathom the pain, the depths of pain they must be feeling.
‘This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy, and it is an ongoing investigation.’
Cruz warned, ‘nobody’s here to speculate’, adding ‘we’re well aware of the fact that anybody charged with a criminal crime is presumed innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.’
He wrapped up the conference by saying: ‘Certainly our hearts and condolences go up to the Clancy family’.
Lindsay Clancy’s father-in-law, Christopher Clancy, said: ‘We’re all heartbroken right now.’
Duxbury Fire Chief Robert Reardon and Deputy Chief Brian Monahan issued a joint statement that urged responders to reach out if they’re having trouble coping.
They said: ‘Tragedies like these are always difficult to comprehend and process.
‘We are all left struggling with many emotions. Please know that all public safety personnel have been offered, and will continue to be offered, needed support.’
The Wareham Fire Department showed their love for the Clancy family, the three young children who died and their fellow first responders by adding to a memorial of flowers and stuffed animals.
Clancy had previously shared online that she was struggling with postpartum anxiety.
Callan was initially the only child to survive the incident, but he died on Friday morning
Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of killing her daughter Cora, 5, son Dawson, 3, and now baby Callan, who was eight months old, at the family home in Massachusetts. Pictured L-R: Lindsay, Dawson, Corey and husband Patrick
Tributes have been laid outside the home where the tragedy occurred, with balloons and flowers left by well-wishers piling up
Clancy pictured with her husband Patrick, 34, who called authorities after finding her lying unconscious outside their home on Tuesday evening
While Lindsay appeared to be a proud mother on Facebook, she shared about struggling with postpartum anxiety after the birth of her latest child.
Last July, she wrote that six weeks after the child’s birth, she was feeling ‘dialed in’ and sought to focus on exercise, nutrition and her mindset, which she claimed ‘made all the difference.’
In 2020, she wrote online: ‘So unbelievably thankful for this family and life,’ along with doting images of her children.
Feelings of depression can be common after childbirth, but on rare occasions, they can lead to full postpartum psychosis.
In this extreme form of PPD, a mother can suffer from severe depression and hallucinations which can lead her to harm herself, her children, or both.
The hospital where Lindsay works said in a statement: ‘We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events.’
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the 24hr National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741; or chat with someone online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
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