Killing of the Clancy children
2023 triple-homicide
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On January 24, 2023, Lindsay Clancy allegedly strangled her three young children to death and attempted suicide at her home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Clancy pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, with the defense arguing that her actions were the result of a severe postpartum mental health crisis.
| Killing of the Clancy children | |
|---|---|
| Location | Duxbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Date | January 24, 2023 |
Attack type | Child homicide by strangulation |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Accused | Lindsay Clancy |
| Charges | First-degree murder (3 counts), strangulation (3 counts) |
Background
Lindsay Clancy studied at Quinnipiac University.[1][2] She met her husband, Patrick, in 2013 and the couple was married on December 3, 2016. Their first child, Cora, was born in 2017 and their son Dawson in 2019, after which Clancy reported experiencing postpartum depression.[3][4]
Clancy worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital.[5] After the birth of her third child in 2022, Clancy sought treatment for postpartum depression and anxiety,[5] and was eventually prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications over the course of four months.[6] Clancy's symptoms continued to deteriorate as the end of her maternity leave approached, and she was admitted to McLean Hospital for inpatient psychiatric care on January 1, 2023, where she remained for 5 days.[5] [7][8]
Killings
Shortly before 5 P.M. on January 24, 2023, Clancy asked her husband to pick up takeout food and run an errand at the pharmacy.[9] While her husband was gone, Clancy strangled her three children with exercise bands, after which she attempted suicide by cutting herself and jumping from a second-story window.[5] The two older children, Cora (age 5) and Dawson (age 3), were pronounced dead at the hospital; the youngest, Callan (8 months), died three days later.[9] Clancy sustained spinal cord injuries from the fall and was hospitalized; she remains paralyzed from the waist down as of 2026.[10][11]
Legal proceedings
At a remote arraignment on February 7, 2023, Clancy pleaded not guilty to charges including murder, strangulation, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.[12] The prosecution argued that the killings were deliberately premeditated, with Clancy intentionally giving her husband errands in order to get him out of the house so that she could kill the children.[6][12] Clancy's defense team raised the insanity defense,[9] arguing that she was not responsible for her actions due to severe postpartum mental illness.[13] The case went to trial on July 27, 2026 in the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[5][14][15][16]
Reactions and aftermath
Shortly after the deaths of the children, Clancy's husband released a statement expressing support for his wife and urging the public to forgive her.[10] The case has led to widespread discussion of postpartum mental health on social media.[17]
In January 2026, Patrick and Lindsay Clancy filed a civil lawsuit against healthcare providers for overmedicating Clancy. Patrick Clancy filed for divorce and remarried in April 2026. [18][19]