Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and suicide which some readers may find distressing.
The husband of a woman who killed their three children before attempting to take her own life has explained why he doesn't blame her for what happened.
Patrick's discovery
Patrick Clancy, from Duxbury, Massachusetts, had been running errands and picking up takeout before he returned home to find his wife, Lindsay, barely conscious in their backyard in January 2023.
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Lindsay told Patrick she'd 'tried to kill' herself, and when he asked her where the children were, she said: "In the basement."
In a 911 recording from that day, Patrick could be heard 'screaming in agony and shock' as he found his three children; Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months, with exercise bands tied around their necks.
Lindsay's state of mind
Lindsay has since been arrested and charged with two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
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She has pleaded not guilty, and in a new interview with The New Yorker, Patrick explained why he does not believe he 'married a monster'.
The dad opened up about how Lindsay, who had worked as a labor-and-delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was struggling with her mental health in the weeks prior to their children's deaths.
Lindsay hadn't been diagnosed with postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis - a condition which has been linked to infanticide - but she had mentioned 'a touch of postpartum anxiety' in a note on her iPhone days before the killings.
She had been diagnosed by a local psychiatrist with having generalized anxiety disorder and was prescribed Zoloft, according to The New Yorker.
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When the Zoloft caused insomnia, she received other prescriptions to help her sleep.
Patrick expressed belief Lindsay's sessions with her therapist were too limited to medication management, though in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, no other therapists were immediately available.
Over time, Lindsay stopped socializing and lost her appetite, though Patrick claimed none of the experts Lindsay spoke to ever warned him, or her, as far as he's aware, that she may have postpartum psychosis.
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“I never even heard the term until after the kids died,” he said.
The turning point
Lindsay told Patrick about having 'thoughts of wanting to die', and she spent a few days in a psychiatric institution before leaving with another prescription.
Later that same month, she strangled her three children and jumped out of her bedroom window, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.
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Having watched Lindsay in the weeks prior to their children's deaths, Patrick requested on a GoFundMe page that people join him in forgiving his wife, saying: “The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”
Patrick's view
Speaking to The New Yorker, Patrick added: “I wasn’t married to a monster—I was married to someone who got sick."
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Lindsay's case is ongoing, with prosecutors pointing to evidence such as searches of 'ways to kill' which may suggest Lindsay was aware of her actions than she has claimed.
Patrick still believes 'it wasn’t her making those decisions', but with the case ongoing, he added: “I don’t know. I don’t know who to believe, but I don’t think it matters really.”
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.
Topics: Mental Health, Crime, US News, Parenting
Emily Brown