Irish American dad's agony of finding strangled children revealed in court

Lindsay Clancy, who is accused of strangling her three children at their family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, was arraigned on Tuesday, February 7.

Clancy, 32, attended the arraignment via video call and she is still hospitalized and partially paralyzed after attempting suicide on January 24, the night she allegedly strangled her three children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, eight months.

Clancy entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday for the two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague argued during Clancy's arraignment that the murders of the three children were "premeditated," while defense attorney Kevin Reddington argued that Clancy was "overmedicated."

In court on Tuesday, Sprague shared the tragic details of the evening of January 24 at the Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Lindsay's husband Patrick Clancy had left the home to go to a store and pick up takeout for dinner, Sprague said.

“When he arrives home, the first thing he noticed was the silence.

“He did not see or hear the defendant or the children. 

“He actually called her cell phone at 6:09 pm looking for them, and she did not answer.

“He went to their bedroom on the second floor and the door was locked. He was able to open it and when he looked inside, he saw blood on the floor in front of a full-length mirror and the window open.

“He immediately runs downstairs and into the backyard where he finds the defendant laying on the ground. She appeared to have cuts on her wrists and neck, but he stated to 911 that those wounds were no longer bleeding. She was conscious.

“He called 911. During this time, he asked the defendant, ‘What did you do?’

“She responded to him, ‘I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.’

“During the 911 call, Patrick can be heard asking the defendant, ‘where are the kids?’ He later told police that she replied ‘in the basement.’”

Sprague continued: “When EMS arrived he asked them to stay with her so he could go find his kids.

“The 911 call kept going. Patrick can be heard on the 911 call entering the home and heading to the basement. At one point, he calls out, ‘Guys?’

“He can then be heard screaming in agony and shock as he found his children. His screams seemed to get louder and more agonized as the time passes.”

Sprague said Cora and Callan were on the floor in the den area of the basement, while Dawson was on the floor of his father’s home office, also in the basement.

“Each child still had the exercise band that was used to strangle them tied around their necks when their father found them," Sprague said.

“Dawson and Callan were face down on the floor. Cora was on her side with her torso turned toward the floor.

“He removed the bands and begged them to breathe. He continued to scream uncontrollably and screamed for officers to come to the basement.

“The dispatchers are hearing this and send help down to the basement and when they encounter Patrick, he yells out ‘she killed the kids.’”

Sprague said the children were rushed to ambulances and brought to a hospital. Cora and Dawson were declared dead at the hospital, while Callan was med flighted to Boston Children’s Hospital where medical staff was able to restart his pulse but not his brain activity. Callan was placed on life support; he was pronounced dead on January 27.

Sprague went on to say that in a phone call to Patrick from the hospital on February 6, Lindsay said that she killed their children because ‘she heard a voice’ and had “a moment of psychosis.”

Patrick asked Lindsay what voices she heard, and she said she heard a man’s voice telling her to kill the kids and kill herself because it was her last chance.

Sprague argued that Lindsay “planned” the murders and created the scenario for it to happen on the night of January 24 “in the place where they should have felt the safest, at home with their mom."

Sprague accused Lindsay of "deliberate premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty."

Reddington, however, went on to argue that Lindsay was suffering from mental health problems and had been overmedicated and was suffering from mental health problems. He highlighted how Lindsay had previously written she wanted the best for her children.

At the end of the arraignment, Judge John Canavan ruled that Lindsay Clancy will remain in the current hospital until medically cleared to be moved to a new facility, such as a 24/7 rehabilitation facility. Clancy cannot leave the hospital until discharged to a new facility.

No monetary bail was set.

Lindsay Clancy is due to appear in court again May.

*If you or somebody you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, you are encouraged to reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US by dialing 9-8-8 or Samaritans Ireland by dialing 1-1-6-1-2-3.