Family Members Describe Mental Health Deterioration of Woman Charged in Deaths of Three Young Children

Relatives of Lindsay Clancy testified Tuesday that they grew increasingly alarmed about her psychological condition in the months preceding the deaths of her three young children, a trial examining her mental state during the alleged crimes. Clancy, 36, faces three first-degree murder charges in connection with the deaths of her children—Cora, Dawson, and Callan, all under age 6—discovered strangled in their Duxbury home in 2023. Prosecutors completed their presentation of evidence Monday morning.

Susan Clancy, the defendant’s mother-in-law, recounted to jurors her observations of declining mental health beginning in late 2022. She reported that Lindsay Clancy first expressed concerns about her wellbeing in November 2022, citing severe insomnia, loss of appetite, heightened anxiety, and depression. “She was begging for help,” Susan Clancy told the court, though she maintained the defendant remained attentive and loving toward her children.

Paula Musgrove, Clancy’s mother, introduced testimony including an October 2022 text message in which the defendant pleaded for her mother’s support, describing terrifying insomnia and her inability to manage daily functioning. Despite her awareness of her daughter’s mental deterioration, Musgrove stated she harbored no safety concerns regarding the children at that time.

The defense maintains that Clancy was experiencing postpartum psychosis when the deaths occurred and has entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Clancy does not dispute responsibility for killing the children. The jury consists of 12 primary jurors and six alternates, all women and men.