MA - Lindsay Clancy, Strangled 3 Children in Murder/Suicide Attempt, Duxbury, Jan 2023

She was clearly incredibly sick. Looks like deep depression to me at this point. That’s something you can hide. You can try to pretend, try to work through it while you’re numb inside. I think she really wanted to kill herself. She thought she would die. That’s why there was no plan for after.

At this point, at the end of the day she looks to me like a woman who wanted to die and decided to take her kids with her.

Maybe her meds contributed or maybe they just didn’t help, I don’t know. I wish we had were more aware of what mental illness means in this country. I feel like she must have pretended a lot and a lot of people probably don’t understand how deep the need can be, to try to put on a happy face and keep going, because if anyone found out how crazy you are…

So sad. And arguably you are entitled to take your own life. But you can’t take the kids with you.

I hope something comes out to make it make sense. They can’t really say she’s of perfectly sound mind and not even depressed when she has all those prescriptions; she was being treated for something.
 
It was a little unclear to me if the prosecutor was saying that one of the first things LC communicated in general was to ask about a lawyer, or if it was one of the first things she said to police. While it would be odd if that is the first thing she said to her doctors upon gaining consciousness or something, it would not be unusual if that is the first thing she said to a police officer. MOO
I agree. It's one of the most discussed things on here. Innocent or guilty, if you're talking to the cops, ask for a lawyer, first thing. It's your right and your protection.
 
Also, the prosecutor presented to the Court that both LC and her husband were informed by her psychiatrist that she was NOT suffering from postpartum depression.

For the defense attorney to then base his entire argument on PPD/depression and psychosis, and to go off into a generalized critique of how women’s postpartum depression is completely ignored by society, sounded very weak. Like he couldn’t offer a strong defense based entirely on the relevant facts and had to blur his client into the “PPD/PPP mom” image.
Bbm
Whoaahhhh....

This may have been premeditated and outright murder ?
Imo.
Early on it seemed very clear to me she of course jumped into action as soon as he was out the door. He never would of left the house if she was showing any kind of issues at all. Turns out she wasn't. But now we know it was planned. I think even though so calculated, her brain and thinking processes were very damaged due to the drugs she had been taking. She may of been better off taking none or one known and safe kind. It does sound though that there were long term problems with her thinking. Don't know if she had any kind of mental health problems after her first or second child. Her family and friends would know this along with her pediatrician/obgyn maybe? I'm remembering this minute that yes, she said she was on her FB / talked about it and had inpatient and her week long intensive outpatient. I just don't know and that's to be expected of us.
Bolding mine.
It sounds like LC was capable of planning the time that he would be gone ?
The meds may have been partly to blame, yes.

But she did this three times, and as I mentioned in an earlier post here, strangling takes some time.

Wondering if either of the two older children showed signs of a struggle ?
Did LC have any scratches on her arms or face ?
Even a small child will struggle and fight for its' life.
:(
Imo.
 
I'm hearing that she did this on purpose (meaning that she knew what she was doing, and that it was wrong, but didn't care) and also that she has a spinal cord injury that may leave her permanently paralyzed.

What a tragedy, from beginning to end! Good heavens, if she didn't want to be a mom any more, she could leave her husband and give him sole custody.
 
I'm hearing that she did this on purpose (meaning that she knew what she was doing, and that it was wrong, but didn't care) and also that she has a spinal cord injury that may leave her permanently paralyzed.

What a tragedy, from beginning to end! Good heavens, if she didn't want to be a mom any more, she could leave her husband and give him sole custody.
Exactly.
So horrifying and pointless.

My coworker's brother who has had issues for several years had himself committed.
Despite his medicated state, he felt he might literally harm someone, knew it was wrong, and wisely checked himself into a facility.
Just saying this can be an option.
 
Bbm
Whoaahhhh....

This may have been premeditated and outright murder ?
Imo.

Bolding mine.
It sounds like LC was capable of planning the time that he would be gone ?
The meds may have been partly to blame, yes.

But she did this three times, and as I mentioned in an earlier post here, strangling takes some time.

Wondering if either of the two older children showed signs of a struggle ?
Did LC have any scratches on her arms or face ?
Even a small child will struggle and fight for its' life.
:(
Imo.
I'm wondering what the psych. meant when said that LC was not suffering from postpartum dep., then what did he mean? Did he mean another type of mental illness? Did he mean she was 'fine'? That's not clarified or in context of anything it seems? I wonder when the psychiatrist told them that. Is this the same one the prescribed all the different meds for whatever illness he believes she had? I don't think the one she has in the hospital that is appointed by the defense I thought I read, would be the one to say that. I'd think he would not tell the husband that due to HIPPA unless L gave her permission.. vague.
Things will come out in May and onward about the unimaginable regarding the children. If you saw the arraignment and prosecutor statements it is all a shock to all I believe. The deliberateness.
 
I'm hearing that she did this on purpose (meaning that she knew what she was doing, and that it was wrong, but didn't care) and also that she has a spinal cord injury that may leave her permanently paralyzed.

What a tragedy, from beginning to end! Good heavens, if she didn't want to be a mom any more, she could leave her husband and give him sole custody.
I sure wish she thought of that, delusional or not.
 
Just getting in, listened to the State & her Attorney at the hearing today. I'm reeling after listening to the State present their case. Not sure where I stand at this moment, so I'm off to read. I did note Lindsay closed her eyes when the State described her killing the kids and the screams in 911 call. But I saw no tears ...
 
Just getting in, listened to the State & her Attorney at the hearing today. I'm reeling after listening to the State present their case. Not sure where I stand at this moment, so I'm off to read. I did note Lindsay closed her eyes when the State described her killing the kids and the screams in 911 call. But I saw no tears ...
She has a spinal injury. In addition to whatever psychiatric medication she's on, she's probably on heavy duty pain medication. That would make anyone have a flat affect, even without mental health coming into the equation.
 
Does anyone know why LC’s husband didn’t go inside immediately? That may speak to the severity of her injuries; I am thinking he may have had to stay by her side (and didn’t know what was inside the house) to the extent he couldn’t go check on the children. My spouse would have to be dying for me to not go check on them.
This is a very good point.
 
I'm not at all convinced she heard any voice/s. Intrusive thoughts, yes... very likely.

The 4 day hospital stay in January leaves me a bit perplexed.

I believe she was suffering with mental anxiety (but to what degree??) Enough that it caused her children to pay the price?? I also believe she did a lot of masking of symptoms. I can't let go of the idea that she was aware that her children needed to be in safer hands (not her own). I suppose it's as perplexing as any suicide (which involves both suffering and what feels like selfishness).... but in this instance it was murder/suicide. :(
RBBM
I need to say this.
If you haven't suffered from post-partum depression or depression, it will be understandably difficult to understand this.
Even when you are at your lowest ebb you have ever been at, and you can still 'put on a smile' and act like a healthy, normal person. You can be laughing and joking with a friend over coffee, then they leave. Half an hour later, you can be wrapped in a blanket in the fetal position, crying and hurting, thinking all your love ones tolerate you and you are worthless, for example.
You can go from fun time Alice to suicidal Rebecca in a minute.
An advert on TV, A bird landing on the fence, dropping the remote control. ANYTHING can trigger you, from 'put a smile on' to a very deep dark hole in the ground.
JME
 
RBBM
I need to say this.
If you haven't suffered from post-partum depression or depression, it will be understandably difficult to understand this.
Even when you are at your lowest ebb you have ever been at, and you can still 'put on a smile' and act like a healthy, normal person. You can be laughing and joking with a friend over coffee, then they leave. Half an hour later, you can be wrapped in a blanket in the fetal position, crying and hurting, thinking all your love ones tolerate you and you are worthless, for example.
You can go from fun time Alice to suicidal Rebecca in a minute.
An advert on TV, A bird landing on the fence, dropping the remote control. ANYTHING can trigger you, from 'put a smile on' to a very deep dark hole in the ground.
JME
Thank you for saying this.
 
RBBM
I need to say this.
If you haven't suffered from post-partum depression or depression, it will be understandably difficult to understand this.
Even when you are at your lowest ebb you have ever been at, and you can still 'put on a smile' and act like a healthy, normal person. You can be laughing and joking with a friend over coffee, then they leave. Half an hour later, you can be wrapped in a blanket in the fetal position, crying and hurting, thinking all your love ones tolerate you and you are worthless, for example.
You can go from fun time Alice to suicidal Rebecca in a minute.
An advert on TV, A bird landing on the fence, dropping the remote control. ANYTHING can trigger you, from 'put a smile on' to a very deep dark hole in the ground.
JME
The world is colour and movement, and you're in black and white, standing still. I've been there. I get it. I held down retail jobs while being there. I was perky, polite, smiley and engaged with my coworkers and customers. It felt like a temporary relief, where I didn't have to be me for a bit, but Customer Service Me(TM). It was a mask, and I wore it seamlessly.

MOO
 
One would hope this is the case but in my opinion, it's quite possible that Lindsey did not receive the attention she needed and her children paid the price. That may sound unfair with the benefit of hindsight but if she was in such a desperate condition one wonders why she was not being treated in an inpatient setting? My opinion only.

If her own husband didn't realize how acutely ill she was, how would the total strangers who would admit her to a hospital? It seems she did her best to hide her symptoms to the point that she seemed appropriate for outpatient care.
 
If her own husband didn't realize how acutely ill she was, how would the total strangers who would admit her to a hospital? It seems she did her best to hide her symptoms to the point that she seemed appropriate for outpatient care.
Interested in hearing your opinion of what the State presented today at the hearing.
 
I think there's no question she was suicidal. Suicidal people can plan or react. Suicidal people get dressed, brush their teeth, make phone calls, keep journals, make plans for the next day.

Her history of treatment and medications open the door for a drug-related defense IMO. Suicidal/homicidal ideation.

If not for the children, this would be a multi million dollar lawsuit against the medical establishment/pharmaceutical companies IMO. It may be one anyhow. It's possible that she was overwhelmed with suicidal ideation that turned homicidal in the moment. Deeply disordered thinking.

All brought on arguably post partum, possibly made worse by a heavy drug load. So much of her thinking seems so incongruent with her life up to that point, I can't help but wonder if there's another underlying contributor, such as a brain tumor, though likely she's had brain scans due to the severity of her injuries.
Her injuries ARE severe. This was no cry for help IMO. She didn't intend to survive IMO. Brutal injuries. A transected spinal cord doesn't repair itself. Cervical fractures too.

If this were only a failed suicide, she has a long road ahead of her. Self-inflicted paralysis, that's a lot. That's months and months of rehab, in the best of circumstances (speaking as a paraplegic myself). Then add in the distressing mental health issues and the challenges of finding and managing the right combinations of meds.

But this is also a criminal investigation. Murder times three. Those precious, beautiful babies.

I support the judge's ruling. She needs medical intervention to recover from her physical injuries, insofar as she can. She needs treatment for the depression, anxiety, ideation that got her here.

There will be time later to assess penalty.

And a lifetime to mourn the lives taken.

Devastating loss.

JMO
Great post.

Very insightful and along the lines of my own thoughts, but wrote a lot more eloquently than I could express.

JMO. I believe she had no intention of seeing this aftermath. Maybe it was planned, maybe it wasn't, yet if there is MH and mismanagement or, possibly, misdiagnosis involved, both could be valid. Or put another way, if an MH patient had been seeing doctors and psychiatrists for help, the doctors may have misdiagnosed, which could lead to a prescription of a medication that actually antagonises the real MH diagnosis. In another scenario, an MH inpatient has maxed out their stay on insurance, they are stretching staff thinly as is, and so the psychiatrist maybe sees this patient a handful of times, the patient is sent home with more drugs and transferred back to the family doctor for ongoing treatment with maybe monthly at best, consultant visits.

There is so much more to this; it is truly awful and tragic.
 
RBBM
I need to say this.
If you haven't suffered from post-partum depression or depression, it will be understandably difficult to understand this.
Even when you are at your lowest ebb you have ever been at, and you can still 'put on a smile' and act like a healthy, normal person. You can be laughing and joking with a friend over coffee, then they leave. Half an hour later, you can be wrapped in a blanket in the fetal position, crying and hurting, thinking all your love ones tolerate you and you are worthless, for example.
You can go from fun time Alice to suicidal Rebecca in a minute.
An advert on TV, A bird landing on the fence, dropping the remote control. ANYTHING can trigger you, from 'put a smile on' to a very deep dark hole in the ground.
JME
As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, thank you for saying this. This is exactly it. So many times you are told to snap out of it, things aren't that bad, other people have it worse, why are you upset, that's not a big deal. Yet you feel that in the moment, chances are you'll feel that in the day as you revisit the many things you feel you did wrong that day. If only more people wouldn't judge and it was easier to get help...
 
Interested in hearing your opinion of what the State presented today at the hearing.

I'm not really sure. I have a lot of questions. I saw the playback. Based solely on the prosecution, it does sound like premeditated murder. However, I haven't heard the defense. I wonder what they were treating? Did the prosecution actually look at all her medical records? Or were they just told/did they only see the bit about her not having PPD? Was she also told she didn't have postpartum psychosis? Could she have a pre-existing bipolar disorder (which is known to put women at risk of postpartum psychosis)? Why was she on all those meds? It's not common to prescribe Valium these days. Docs usually gravitate toward Ativan or Klonopin. Why Valium for her? What was the purpose of Lamictal (a mood stabilizer sometimes used for irritability or bipolar depression usually associated with bipolar II)? What dose of Seroquel was she on? At low doses, it can be a sleep aide or anti-anxiety agent, though that is frowned upon by most of us in the medical establishment. At slightly higher doses, it can be a mood stabilizer used for depression, usually bipolar depression. At higher doses than that, it can help with or prevent mania. And finally, at higher doses, even psychosis. Seroquel is an antipsychotic. Its use is varied, so without a dose, it's hard to say why it was prescribed for her. What was the admitting diagnosis to McLean? What was the discharge diagnosis? Hard to say someone who is suicidal is not depressed. So what exactly did they give her for a diagnosis? Was she at a partial hospital program (day program) as was rumored in MSM (page 1 of the thread)? If so, what was the diagnosis there? Did she complete the program?

So many questions before we know what happened, IMO.

One thing I want to add is that these medications can make you confused, they can make you disoriented, they can even make you wobbly on your feet. But they DO NOT make you premeditate a murder. They just don't and shame on any defense attorney who tries to use that.
 
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