Clancy Children

 On January 24, 2023, Lindsay Clancy strangled her three children, five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan, at the family's home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, United States. She then attempted suicide by cutting her wrists and neck and jumping from a second-story window, sustaining injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Lindsay said she heard an auditory hallucination ordering her to commit the acts and felt an irresistible urge to comply.

Lindsay was charged with three counts of murder. Her defense argued that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and should not be held criminally responsible. After the birth of her third child, Lindsay had spent months seeking help from multiple healthcare providers and hospitals for symptoms including insomnia, intrusive thoughts, and suicidal ideation.

Prosecutors argued that Lindsay was in control at the time of the killings and that her actions beforehand, including sending her husband out of the house on an errand, demonstrated methodical planning. They emphasized that Lindsay claimed to have heard the voice only once, on the day of the killings, and that none of her providers had reported signs of psychosis. After five weeks of testimony, jury deliberations began on August 27, 2026.

The case drew national attention and prompted widespread discussion of postpartum mental illnesses. Both Lindsay and her former husband, Patrick Clancy, filed civil lawsuits against her former healthcare providers, alleging that medical malpractice and negligence led to the deaths of their children.

Background

Family

Lindsay Marie Musgrove was born on August 11, 1990. She grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut and studied at Quinnipiac University. She met her future husband, Patrick Clancy, in 2013 through her college roommate. The couple married in 2016 and later settled in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where Lindsay worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The Clancys' first child, Cora, was born on December 4, 2017, after which Lindsay began working part-time. Their second child, Dawson, was born on September 30, 2019, and their youngest child, Callan, was born on May 26, 2022.

Following Callan's birth, Lindsay took 18 weeks of maternity leave, while Patrick took 12 weeks of paternity leave before returning to his work-from-home job in the technology sector. The family hired a nanny who worked three days a week from September 2022 to early December 2022.[ Lindsay's parents also visited frequently, staying for days at a time, to help with childcare.

Events preceding the killings

Lindsay reported experiencing postpartum anxiety after the births of her first two children. Following the birth of her second child, she briefly participated in talk therapy and took Zoloft. She said her symptoms returned and worsened after the birth of her third child, particularly toward the end of her maternity leave. Patrick testified that she planned to ask about resuming Zoloft to help with anxiety and returning to work.

In September 2022, Lindsay began seeing psychiatrist Jennifer Tufts. Tufts diagnosed her with generalized anxiety disorder, recommended talk therapy, and prescribed the Zoloft. She also completed a form necessary to extend Lindsay's maternity leave. Lindsay discontinued Zoloft after reporting insomnia, a common side effect. Tufts prescribed Ativan on October 21. At a follow-up appointment on October 26, Lindsay reported that Ativan reduced her anxiety but not her sleeplessness and said she was using Benadryl as a sleep aid. Tufts prescribed Buspar, but Lindsay was afraid to try a new medication and did not take it. Tufts warned her that Ativan could be addictive and reduced the dosage on November 2.

According to Patrick, Lindsay's condition worsened in November 2022. He testified that she lost her appetite, withdrew socially, and experienced episodes of intense fear. On November 8, Lindsay posted in a Facebook support group for postpartum depression and anxiety. She said that although Ativan had helped her feel normal again, she was concerned about becoming addicted and asked for alternatives. On November 15, she sought treatment at an emergency room after reportedly going two days without sleep. A physician prescribed trazodone, but Lindsay found it ineffective.

On November 20, Lindsay's mother-in-law, a nurse, contacted Julie Paul, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at her hospital's perinatal clinic. Paul called Lindsay later that day. On November 21, Paul prescribed Prozac. On November 25, she added Ambien, Remeron, and Klonopin. When Paul left the hospital in December 2022, Lindsay's case was transferred to nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta. Jollotta prescribed Seroquel, an anti-psychotic, on November 29.

During the first week of December, Lindsay told both Tufts and Jollotta that she believed Remeron was causing intrusive thoughts. In messages to Jollotta, she described "horribly intrusive thoughts wanting it to be all over" and feeling "no emotion whatsoever." Jollotta believed Lindsay's symptoms were more consistent with postpartum depression than medication side effects. Tufts testified that Lindsay was "feeling very hopeless" and "close to" suicidal ideation. Around the same time, Lindsay reported hallucinations and contacted two suicide hotlines. Neither hotline intervened because she did not have a plan to harm herself.

On December 6, Jollotta suggested Lindsay had bipolar disorder, increased her Seroquel dosage, and recommended hospitalization. On December 15, Lindsay visited an emergency room due to suicidal thoughts but declined inpatient treatment. Tufts prescribed Lamictal, a mood stabilizer, the following day. Both Jollotta and Tufts recommended treatment at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. On December 20, Lindsay admitted herself to a day program for postpartum depression at Women & Infants. The hospital quickly discharged her, believing her issues were "more likely related to overmedication and misdiagnosis" than postpartum depression. The hospital advised her to discontinue Seroquel. Although the recommendation concerned Jollotta, she agreed to help Lindsay taper off the medication.

Month prior

On December 31, 2022, Lindsay returned to the emergency room because of persistent suicidal ideation. The next morning, she voluntarily began inpatient treatment at McLean Hospital, a highly ranked psychiatric institution. McLean diagnosed her with "major depressive disorder, severe without psychotic features." Psychiatrist Alia Goodheart testified that Lindsay was depressed and suffering significant sleep problems but did not display psychosis. Goodheart described her as future-oriented, invested in her children, and having substantial family support. Lindsay left McLean on January 5, 2023, with prescriptions for Ativan and trazodone.

Lindsay met with Tufts on January 6; Tufts described her as "deteriorating" and began discussing medication changes. On January 16, Tufts prescribed amitriptyline. In the month prior to the killings, Lindsay's phone was used to search for information about her medications, bipolar disorder, hallucinations, and insomnia. Other searches included "Where is the carotid artery", "How to slit your throat to die", "Can you turn airbags off on Kia Sorento", and "Can you treat a sociopath?"

On January 23, the day before the killings, Lindsay had a virtual appointment with Tufts. Tufts testified that Lindsay looked depressed and said she had to force herself to get out of bed, but she denied suicidal and homicidal thoughts and Tufts did not observe psychosis.

Killings

January 24, 2023

According to Patrick, on the morning of January 24, 2023, Lindsay told him that she had slept "pretty well" and was feeling "good". She had become preoccupied with their daughter Cora's stomachache, concerned that it was caused by a liver issue, and took her to a pediatrician appointment. In the afternoon, Lindsay built a snowman and did art projects with the children. Throughout the day, she exchanged routine texts with Patrick, who was working from home.

At 4:02 p.m., Lindsay used her phone to search "kids Miralax." 11 minutes later, she searched for a restaurant in Plymouth, Massachusetts and used Apple Maps to check how long it would take to drive to there. At 4:47 p.m., she called a drugstore and spoke with a manager, who told her they did not have Miralax but had similar medications. Lindsay texted Patrick to ask if he wanted to order takeout from the restaurant, and called the restaurant to place the order at 5:10 p.m.

At Lindsay's request, Patrick left their residence to pick up the food and medication at 5:15 p.m. Lindsay texted him, "Pedia-Lax liquid stool softener" shortly after. At 5:32 p.m., he stopped at a drugstore. Surveillance video showed him calling Lindsay about which medication to buy. Lindsay did not pick up immediately but called back a minute later. Patrick later testified that she seemed busy. He arrived at the restaurant at 5:54 p.m., and returned home shortly after 6:00 p.m.

While her husband was gone, Lindsay strangled their three children one by one with exercise bands in the basement. She then attempted suicide by cutting her wrists and neck and jumping from a second-story window. Lindsay sustained spinal cord injuries from the fall and was hospitalized; she remains paralyzed from the waist down as of 2026.

In subsequent legal filings, Lindsay alleged that she heard a male voice directing her to commit the acts. She claimed she woke up with suicidal thoughts. In the afternoon, she said a voice began to tell her to harm the children. After Patrick left to pick up the food, she said the voice became loud, demanding, and repeatedly telling her, "This is your last chance. You have to kill the kids so you can kill yourself." Lindsay claimed that a force took over her and that she "felt an overwhelming, irresistible compulsion to comply".

Emergency response

After returning home around 6:09 p.m., Patrick discovered the upstairs bedroom bloodied and the window open. He ran outside and found Lindsay lying on the ground, injured and semi conscious. He called 911, and police responded at 6:11 p.m. During the call, Patrick could be heard asking where the children were. Lindsay responded, "in the basement."

While still on the phone with 911, Patrick entered the house to look for the children. He found all three in the basement; each was unconscious and in medical distress, with exercise bands still wrapped around their necks. Cora and Callan were on the floor of the basement's den, while Dawson was found alone on the floor of Patrick's home office.

Responders attempted resuscitation. The children were taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital – Plymouth, where Cora (age five) and Dawson (age three) were pronounced dead. The youngest, Callan (eight months), arrived at the hospital in cardiac arrest. He was flown by medical helicopter to Boston Children's Hospital, where he required a ventilator. He died three days later, on January 27, 2023. After autopsies, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death to Cora and Dawson was asphyxia, and the cause of death for Callan was complications of asphyxia.

Lindsay was taken to South Shore Hospital, where she was intubated before being transferred to Brigham and Women's Hospital. In the early morning of January 25, 2023, she went into cardiac arrest. She was revived after CPR and multiple blood transfusions. Eitan Negri, a physician assistant, testified that he sutured cuts on Lindsay's left and right wrists, but that the cuts on her neck were superficial and did not require medical intervention.

According to hospital staff, Lindsay demonstrated sufficient mental competency to consent to surgery and to change her healthcare proxy from Patrick to her parents. On January 26, 2023, while still intubated, Lindsay was interviewed by forensic psychiatrist Jhilam Biswas. Lindsay was unable to speak but could communicate by writing. Among the questions she asked Biswas were, "Do I have an attorney?", "Is my body broken?", and "Are my legs straight?" She also asked if she could have visitors and where her family was.

Criminal proceedings

Lindsay was arraigned in Plymouth District Court on February 7, 2023. She pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, strangulation, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Under Massachusetts law, a defendant is not guilty if they lacked criminal responsibility when they committed the offense. On May 2, Lindsay was transferred to a state-run psychiatric facility at Tewksbury Hospital. She remained there throughout the criminal proceedings.

On September 15, 2023, Lindsay was indicted by a grand jury on three counts each of murder and strangulation and the case was elevated to Plymouth Superior Court. The strangulation charges were later dropped as redundant. Lindsay was arraigned on October 26 at Tewksbury Hospital, where she pleaded not guilty once again.

Following jury selection, Lindsay's trial began on July 27, 2026, in Plymouth County Superior Court. Judge William Sullivan presided over the case. Over the course of five weeks of testimony, the prosecution called more than 70 witnesses and the defense called 10. Patrick testified during the first week of the trial about Lindsay's mental health in the months preceding the killings and the events of January 24, 2023. The jury was played the 911 call he made after returning home and discovering her outside the house and the children in the basement. Patrick testified that Lindsay had appeared to be doing well on the day of the killings and that he had not been concerned about leaving her alone with the children. Concluding arguments were heard on August 27, 2026.

Defense

Lindsay's defense was led by veteran criminal defense attorney Kevin Reddington. The defense did not dispute that Lindsay killed her children but raised the insanity defense, arguing that she lacked criminal responsibility due to bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis. Defense attorneys contended that Lindsay was a loving mother who suffered a psychotic break and unable to control or understand her actions at the time of the killings.

Reddington argued that Lindsay had been misdiagnosed and overmedicated, contributing to her deterioration, and that her healthcare providers had missed warning signs by failing to coordinate her treatment. He highlighted that Lindsay's clinicians did not seek to obtain complete medical records and did not communicate with each other. Tufts and Jollota testified that they relied on Lindsay to update them, even after her conditioned worsened and she began seeking hospitalization. Jollota testified that she was unaware Tufts had continued treating Clancy after September 2022.

The defense's expert witnesses attributed the killings to severe mental illness. Forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick testified that Lindsay was "clearly psychotic" on the day of the killings and that "it was almost like she was a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings." Psychologist Paul Zeizel similarly testified that Lindsay "had no appreciation for the wrongfulness of her act".

Several family members and acquaintances testified about Lindsay's condition before January 2023. The family's nanny, Elaine Rossi, described Clancy as a "wonderful mom" and testified that she had never been concerned about her interactions with the children. Lindsay's mother, Paula, and sister, Allison, testified for the defense about changes they had observed in her mental health during the months before the killings. Her mother said that Lindsay had become increasingly anxious and fearful and had expressed suicidal thoughts, while her sister described conversations in which Lindsay discussed suicidal ideation and concerns about her mental health. Patrick's mother, Susan, subsequently testified that Lindsay had repeatedly sought help as her mental health deteriorated and had become fearful about taking her prescribed medications. She recalled Lindsay telling her shortly before the killings that she needed help and was concerned about her condition.

Prosecution

Assistant District Attorneys Jennifer Sprague and Shanan Buckingham of the Plymouth County District Attorney's office represented the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in prosecuting the case against Lindsay. While acknowledging that she had struggled with mental illness, prosecutors argued that Lindsay's actions before the killings showed planning and rational thought. "This was not a woman in the throes of psychosis on January 24, 2023," said Buckingham during opening arguments. "This was a woman who acted intentionally, rationally, and swiftly to accomplish a very specific goal—to kill."

The Commonwealth emphasized testimony from Lindsay's treating clinicians, none of whom reported observing psychosis. Jurors were told that Lindsay repeatedly denied experiencing homicidal thoughts and that, during a virtual appointment with Tufts the day before the killings, denied both suicidal and homicidal ideation.The prosecution also called psychiatrist Gregory Saathoff and psychologist Kirk Heilbrun, both of whom had interviewed Lindsay about the commanding voice she claimed to have heard. Saathoff and Heilbrun said it was unusual that Lindsay claimed to have heard the voice only once and did not report hearing it again after the killings.

Prosecutors argued that Lindsay made multiple deliberate decisions before and during the killings that were inconsistent with an uncontrollable psychotic episode. They noted that the voice Lindsay claimed to have heard was vague: "She had to choose where—the basement. She had to choose how—strangulation. She had to choose with what—exercise band," said Sprague. The prosecution alleged that Lindsay plotted to be alone with the children by sending Patrick on errands, and that she had looked up how long the drive would be to estimate how much time she would have. After Saathoff testified that Lindsay said she killed Dawson first, they alleged this was because she considered Dawson a "handful" and more likely to struggle.

During the trial, prosecutors implied that Lindsay had faked her suicide attempt. They highlighted testimony from first responders and emergency department clinicians who said the cuts to Lindsay's neck and wrists were superficial and not bleeding. The defense argued that the lack of bleeding may have been due to the cold temperature outside that night. The prosecution also called a forensic toxicologist who testified that the concentrations of medications in Lindsay's blood were "not consistent" with someone who had swallowed handfuls of pills in an attempt to end their life. At other points, however, prosecutors argued that suicide attempt was sincere and that Lindsay had killed the children first because she did not trust anyone else to care for them. "There's no dispute that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from mental illness and that she tried to kill herself," stated Sprague during closing arguments.

Jury deliberations

The jury, comprised of nine women and three men, began deliberations on August 27, 2026. In addition to murder in the first degree, Sullivan allowed the jury to consider the lesser charges of murder in the second degree and manslaughter. The jury may also find Lindsay not guilty or not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.

On August 28, the jury requested to view the pill bottles and the knife that Lindsay had used in her attempted suicide, the only exhibits to which they had not been given access.

Civil litigation

In January 2026, Lindsay and Patrick filed separate civil lawsuits in Norfolk Superior Court against the healthcare providers who had treated Lindsay before the killings. The lawsuits remain open and active as of August 2026.

Patrick's lawsuit, filed on behalf of himself and the estates of Cora, Dawson, and Callan, alleged wrongful death and medical negligence. It named psychiatrist Jennifer Tufts, psychiatric nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta, and their employers, Aster Mental Health and South Shore Health System. The suit alleged that the defendants failed to recognize Lindsay's deteriorating mental health and improperly prescribed and monitored psychiatric medications. A hearing in the case is scheduled to take place October 28, 2026, at 2:30 p.m.

Lindsay's lawsuit alleged medical malpractice and negligence against 11 defendants. In addition to the defendants in Patrick's suit, Lindsay also sued five other individual providers, Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, and McLean Hospital. The suit alleged that inadequate treatment and medication management contributed to the deterioration of her mental health. It seeks damages including "past and future medical expenses, past and future lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, including the knowledge that she killed her children, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disability, and other damages in an amount to be determined at trial."

Reactions and aftermath

Shortly after the deaths of the children, Patrick released a statement expressing support for his wife and urging the public to forgive her. The case led to widespread discussion of postpartum mental health on social media. The trial was the subject of TikTok conspiracy theories alleging that Patrick killed the children and framed Lindsay, and has sparked online controversy for its different treatment from the Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide.

Patrick filed for divorce and remarried in April 2026.

The case has been compared to that of Andrea Yates, a woman who drowned her children in 2001 and was later found not guilty due to postpartum psychosis.