Caution: This article involves discussion of child abuse and suicide, which may be distressing to some readers.
A man whose wife tragically took the lives of their three children has opened up about the harrowing decisions he faced upon discovering the scene.
On January 24, 2023, Patrick Clancy returned to his home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after being away for less than an hour to find his wife, Lindsay, in the backyard.
It was soon revealed that Lindsay had jumped from a window after strangling their three children.
Their children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, all died as a result.
Cora and Dawson were declared dead on the same day, while Callan succumbed to his injuries a few days later in the hospital.
After the shocking event, Lindsay attempted suicide but survived the attempt.
She is now paralyzed from the waist down and faces charges including two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Patrick, who discovered his deceased children, recently spoke about the heart-wrenching decision he faced at that moment.
According to The New Yorker, Patrick ‘removed the bands and begged each child to breathe’.
He tried to revive Cora, who was lying on her side.
“What do you do when you have three kids like that?” Patrick asked the outlet. “How do you pick?”
Authorities later found that Lindsay had experienced mental health issues before the tragedy.
During her pregnancy with Callan, Lindsay’s symptoms of anxiety and insomnia worsened, and she sought help from postpartum specialists.
However, she was never formally diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.
After her arrest, Patrick questioned Lindsay about the events.
He recounted asking, “Did you plan this? Is that why you sent me out?”
In response, Lindsay stated the deaths were not premeditated.
“She said, ‘No, it just was, like, a snap of the fingers’,” Patrick shared.
The legal proceedings regarding Lindsay are still ongoing, and Patrick has emphasized that ‘it wasn’t her making those decisions’, insisting he ‘wasn’t married to a monster’.
If you or someone you know needs support during a crisis, Mental Health America offers help. You can call or text 988 for a 24-hour crisis center, or webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
If these issues have affected you or you want to talk in confidence about a child’s welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7, accepting calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.