Topics: Mental Health, News, US News, Parenting, Crime
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse and suicide which some readers may find distressing.
A grieving father has lifted the lid on his and his wife's day-to-day lives before the tragic death of their children.
Patrick and Lindsay Clancy were parents to three children; Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month old Callan.
Sadly, tragedy struck in January 2023 when Patrick returned home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, to find his young children dead and his wife seriously injured after she jumped from a window of their home after trying to take her own life.
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Resulting in her being permanently paralysed.
Patrick went on to learn that it was Lindsay who killed Cora, Dawson and Callan.
She has since been charged with two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Lindsay has admitted to killing her children, but has pleaded not guilty to the charges she's facing. She says she strangled her daughter and sons 'during a 'moment of psychosis'.
In the weeks leading up to the children's deaths, Lindsay had been suffering with poor mental health. Her anxiety and insomnia started when she was pregnant with Callan, and while the mom-of-three went was seen by postpartum specialists, she never received a severe diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder.
However, in mid-January Lindsay's health seemed to be improving.
Speaking to The New Yorker, Patrick revealed the questions he asked his wife each morning.
In what became 'routine' for him to hug Lindsay and ask: "How are you feeling? How did you sleep?"
On the fateful day their children died, Lindsay told her husband that she was feeling 'good' and that she'd slept 'pretty well', the news outlet reported.
Lindsay is currently being held without bail at Tewksbury Hospital where she's said to be receiving mental health treatment.
In an emotional interview with The New Yorker, Patrick recalled returning home on the day in question.
Having initially thought Lindsay might be giving their children a bath, Patrick quickly realised something was wrong when he had to force himself into the master bedroom, which had been locked.
Upon entering, he found the window open, blood on the floor and a bloody knife on the nightstand.
Patrick then found his wife outside, barely conscious. He asked, 'what did you do?', to which Lindsay replied: "I tried to kill myself."
When he asked where their three children were, she responded: "In the basement."
Patrick went down to find their three young children with exercise bands around their necks.
Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at the scene, while Callan died in hospital.
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.
