Duxbury mother accused of killing her children to receive extended mental health care

DUXBURY, Mass. (WLNE) — A Duxbury, Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her three children to death earlier this year was moved to Tewksbury Hospital to receive further mental health care, The Boston Globe reports.

Authorities say 32-year-old Lindsay Clancy killed her 5-year-old daughter Cora, 3-year-old son Dawson, and 7-month old son Callan in the basement of the family’s Summer Street home on Jan. 24 before jumping out of a window on the second floor.

Lindsay’s husband, Patrick, called 911 at about 6 p.m. when he found her in the backyard.

FILE – Duxbury Police work at the scene where two children were found dead and an infant injured, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Duxbury, Mass. On Friday, Jan. 27, the youngest child, 7-month-old Callan, also died. The husband of a Massachusetts woman who is accused of killing their three children says his family was the best thing that ever happened to him, and that he forgives his wife. Patrick Clancy’s statement appeared Saturday, Jan. 28, on a fundraising site. (David L Ryan/The Boston Globe via AP, File)

As stated by attorneys in court, Patrick was still on the phone with 911 when he found his children in the basement.

The older children were pronounced dead later that night. The baby, Callan, died at Boston Children’s Hospital a few days later.

Patrick wrote in a GoFundMe for the children’s funerals on Jan. 28 that he forgave his wife and asked the public to try and do the same.

“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone – me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace,” Patrick wrote.

Lindsay pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges from a hospital bed at her arraignment via Zoom on Feb. 7.

In this video screen image, Lindsay Clancy, top right, with a surgical mask over her face in a hospital appears during her arraignment on charges regarding her three children’s deaths at Plymouth District Court Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Plymouth, Mass. With District Court Judge John Canavan, top left, as the presiding judge the defendant participated remotely through videoconference. Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of 32-year-old Clancy to charges including murder, strangulation and assault and battery at her arraignment. (David Ryan/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)

Her defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, told the court Lindsay was paralyzed from the waist down from the fall.

The defense argued that Lindsay was suffering from postpartum depression and was overmedicated at the time of the tragic incident. They stated Lindsay was in severe need of psychiatric help.

The other side argued that Lindsay was cognizant of her actions, having sent Patrick out for errands that evening, including picking up dinner from a restaurant farther from their home than the one the family typically ordered from.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.