The husband of a woman who killed their three children shared a chilling detail from a phone call he had with her before finding out what had happened.
Lindsay Clancy, a mother from Duxbury, Massachusetts, has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, strangulation, and assault after the tragic deaths of her three children in January 2023.
Her husband, Patrick, was out picking up dinner when Lindsay strangled their children with exercise bands and then jumped out of a window in an attempt to take her own life.
The three children tragically died in the incident, but Lindsay survived and was left paralyzed from the waist down.
When Patrick returned home, he was reportedly heard “screaming in agony and shock” upon finding the children, according to a 911 call mentioned by The New Yorker.
In a new interview with the publication, Patrick opened up about the heartbreaking moments leading up to the discovery. While he was out, Lindsay texted him, asking if he could pick up some medicine for their five-year-old daughter, Cora, and also grab takeout, writing, “I didn’t cook anything. It’s been a long day.”
Patrick called Lindsay to ask which brand of medicine to get, but she didn’t answer at first. A minute later, she called him back, sounding “like herself,” as Patrick recalled in the interview.
The call lasted only 14 seconds, but looking back, Patrick realized something chilling. While talking to the police, he mentioned that it felt like his wife was in the middle of doing something during the call.
In his interview with The New Yorker, Patrick also shared that Lindsay had been struggling with her mental health in the weeks before the tragic event.
Lindsay’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, has argued that she was suffering from severe postpartum depression and possibly postpartum psychosis, a condition linked to cases where mothers harm their children.
After Lindsay’s arrest, she called Patrick and told him she heard a voice telling her to kill the children. Patrick said she “did not sound like” his wife during that call, which lasted about a minute.
Despite everything, Patrick doesn’t believe he married a “monster.” He said, “I was married to someone who got sick.”
Lindsay’s case is still ongoing.
