“She killed the kids!” echoed the panicked voice of Patrick Clancy in the 911 call he made on January 24, 2023. After spending around 25 minutes away from the home he shared with his now ex-wife Lindsay Clancy and their three children, his return was met with an unusual silence.
A photo of a then pregnant Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick taken in Duxbury is seen during her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S., August 3, 2026. Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS
After searching the house, he opened the couple’s bedroom to find a pool of blood and the window open. Lindsay Clancy was lying in the backyard, bleeding from her wrists and neck, in an attempted suicide. Soon after, he discovered their children in the basement strangled with exercise bands.
The harrowing 7-minute phone call played for the jurors at the Plymouth Superior Court on July 29, with clips of Lindsay Clancy sobbing uncontrollably going viral. Dubbed ‘America’s saddest murder trial’ by The Guardian, the Clancy case has made global headlines, as the prosecution centers its defense around mental health professionals’ mishandling of Lindsay’s deteriorating postpartum psychosis.
Attuned, to no avail
Testimonies from friends and family, including her ex-husband, describe Lindsey as a doting mother who was always looking to keep her kids safe. The accused was a labor and delivery nurse who had always wanted children of her own.
Patrick Clancy testified that with every birth came both a physical and psychological toll that weighed heavy on Lindsey. After the birth of their last child, she sought psychiatric help for postpartum depression and anxiety. She was prescribed a series of medications, that she herself kept a diary of taking which included her intrusive thoughts.
A page from a notebook kept by Lindsay Clancy in which she documents her medications and feelings is shown during her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S., August 3, 2026. Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS
During the cross-examination of her psychiatrist Jennifer Tufts, she remarked that shortly before the day of the killings, Lindsay expressed worries of suicidal thoughts but denied being actually suicidal. Tufts found the 35 year-old mother was not manic or incomprehensible and the side effects like insomnia, paranoia and increased anxiety were “normal”.
Defense attorney Kevin Reddington questions psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Tufts about her handwritten notes during Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S., August 10, 2026. Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS
Lindsay continuously had her medications changed by the professionals she saw, with her condition seeing no improvement. “I’m so desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone that my mind is trying to find something physically wrong with me” she notes in a diary entry from Nov. 2022. She checked herself into a psychiatric hospital on New Year’s Eve of 2023 and was released a few days later.
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague of the Plymouth County DA’s office enters a bag of prescription pills into evidence that were prescribed to Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of killing her children, prior to her murder trial at Plymouth Superior Court, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, U.S., July 27, 2026. Greg Derr/Pool via REUTERS
The court of public opinion
As the trial progresses and more witnesses are examined on the stand, more clips circulate social media with mothers having been through postpartum issues weighing in.
“I ended up in the hospital [with postpartum psychosis] where the doctors worked tirelessly to find a medication combination that would work for me.” Explains one TikTok user in a video posted to the social media platform a few days into the Clancy trial. “At no point was I ever turned away, everyone understood the gravity of the situation.”
@ayanagabriellelage could’ve talked about this for an hour but here are some thoughts in 40 seconds #lindsayclancy #postpartumpsychosis ♬ original sound – ayana
Many are also pointing out Patrick Clancy’s seeming neglect during his ex-wife’s postpartum care. “Patrick Clancy was told by Lindsay that she was having thoughts of harming the children and he did nothing.” one commenter adds, with another writing “I think Lindsay’s husband is guilty for ignoring her condition and leaving her alone in this.”
