DUXBURY, Massachusetts- A local nurse in Duxbury faces murder charges following the tragic deaths of her three young children in late January. Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of using exercise ropes to end the lives of her children, aged 5, 3, and 7 months, before attempting suicide.
Clancy, who is now paralyzed from the waist down, has been receiving physical and mental health treatments in a hospital since the incident. According to her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, Clancy claimed to have heard a male voice instructing her to kill her children, stating it was her “last chance.”
The children’s father, Patrick Clancy, had previously expressed concerns about his wife’s mental health, particularly her withdrawal from an anxiety medication. Friends of the family reported that Lindsay seemed “fairly normal” during a dinner two days before the incident, although they were surprised by her presence due to her known health issues.
Patrick had shared with friends that Lindsay had been prescribed additional medication and was experiencing severe side effects, including withdrawal symptoms from benzodiazepines, a class of drugs used to treat anxiety. Reddington has argued in court that the combination of prescriptions had turned Lindsay into a “zombie.”
Prosecutors, however, have painted a picture of premeditated murder, citing evidence of Google searches and alleging that Lindsay had deliberately sent her husband out of the house to create an opportunity for her actions. Lindsay was never diagnosed with postpartum depression, a point Reddington has contested, blaming a “flawed” mental health care system for failing to treat her.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the suburban seaside community, particularly affecting the first responders who discovered the children and attended to Lindsay. Patrick, who found his wife in their backyard following her suicide attempt, has largely remained out of the public eye, except for a statement on a GoFundMe page where he expressed forgiveness towards his wife and asked others to do the same.