Topics: Mental Health, True crime, Crime, US News
The husband of a woman who killed her three children has shared an eerie detail he noticed while on the phone to her before learning what she'd done.
Mom Lindsay Clancy, from Duxbury, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after her three children died in January 2023.
Her husband, Patrick, had been out to collect dinner when Lindsay strangled the children using exercise bands, then jumped out of her bedroom window in an attempt to take her own life.
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The three children sadly died in the incident, but Lindsay survived and was left paralyzed from the waist down.
Patrick returned to the home and was heard 'screaming in agony and shock' when he found the children, according to a 911 call recording reported on by The New Yorker.
The dad has opened up about the ordeal in a new interview with the publication, in which he recalled the moments leading up to his discovery.
While Patrick was out of the house, Lindsay text him asking if he'd pick up some medicine for their five-year-old, Cora, as well as a takeout order for dinner, writing: “I didn’t cook anything. It’s been a long day.”
Patrick called Lindsay to ask her which brand of medicine to buy, though she initially didn't pick up.
A minute later, the mom called back, apparently sounding 'like herself', according to the account Patrick gave to The New Yorker.
The call only lasted 14 seconds, but when looking back on it, he made a chilling realization.
While speaking to the police, Patrick said that it seemed though his wife had been in the middle of something.
In the New Yorker interview, Patrick also recalled how Lindsay was struggling with her mental health in the weeks prior to the killings.
As part of her defense, Lindsay's attorney, Kevin Reddington, argued the mom had suffered from severe postpartum depression and 'possibly' postpartum psychosis, a disorder which has been linked to infanticide.
Following the mom's arrest, Patrick received a call from Lindsay in which she told her husband she'd heard a voice telling her to kill the children.
Patrick said Lindsay 'did not sound like [his] wife' on that call, and he ended it after about a minute.
In spite of this, Patrick has made clear that he does not feel he married a 'monster'.
“I was married to someone who got sick," Patrick said.
Lindsay's case is ongoing.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
