Jury hears 911 call in trial of mother accused of killing three children
In a Massachusetts murder trial, a recorded emergency call describing the discovery of three children’s bodies was presented to jurors, while the defendant’s defense argues she suffered postpartum psychosis.
A seven-minute 911 call made by Patrick Clancy on the night he found his three children dead in the basement of their Duxbury home was played for the jury in the trial of Lindsay Clancy. During the call, Patrick Clancy told his wife to "wake up" and later shouted that she had killed the children, prompting a dispatcher to repeat the question, "She killed the kids?"
Lindsay Clancy, a former labor and delivery nurse, faces three counts of first-degree murder for the strangulation deaths of her 5-year-old daughter, 3-year-old son and 8-month-old infant in 2023. Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, is pursuing an insanity defense, asserting that Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis and did not receive adequate treatment. The prosecution contends that the killings were intentional and that Clancy was functioning normally before the incident.
After the murders, Clancy attempted suicide by jumping from a second-floor window, resulting in paralysis; she has been confined to Tewksbury Hospital. When the 911 recording was played, Clancy, now 35, was in the courtroom and broke down in tears, leading Judge William Sullivan to call a recess.
Earlier in the day, Patrick Clancy testified that he returned home to find the house quiet, an open window, and blood, eventually discovering his wife outside the bedroom and later the bodies in the basement. He later testified for the defense as well.
Prosecutors introduced additional testimony from a CVS pharmacy manager and a restaurant hostess who spoke with Clancy that night, both saying her conversations were ordinary. They also presented photos and videos of family outings to illustrate that Clancy had been engaged in normal activities prior to the killings.
Evidence presented indicates that Clancy had sought mental-health assistance for months after the birth of her third child, including an inpatient stay at McLean Hospital that she left early to attend her daughter’s birthday. Her medical records show multiple prescriptions and an extended maternity leave.
The defense filed a motion to prevent prosecutors from stating that Clancy searched the internet for "ways to kill," describing her online activity as searches for suicide methods. Medical experts on postpartum mental health are expected to testify, and jurors will later tour the former family home. Patrick Clancy, who has remarried and resides in New York, is not present in the courtroom during the 911 playback.