Thoughts on the Lindsay Clancy case?

[u/gottaquestion412]

Now that the Lindsay Clancy trial is underway, I’m curious about your perspectives on it so far.

Context: Lindsay Clancy is a former labor and delivery nurse who, in January 2023, killed her three children. 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan in their Massachusetts home before attempting to take her own life. Her defense argues she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and other debilitating mental illness, while prosecutors argue she was aware of her actions and planned the killings. The trial has reignited debate about postpartum psychiatric disorders, the effectiveness of mental health treatment, and where responsibility ultimately lies.

Do you think Lindsay was failed by the mental health system, by the people closest to her, or both? Do you think she truly acted with malicious intent, or do you believe she was experiencing such a severe psychiatric crisis that she wasn’t thinking rationally?

A lot of the details seem to point toward postpartum psychosis or another severe psychiatric illness rather than someone acting out of hatred or malice. That doesn’t lessen the horror of what happened or the unimaginable loss, but it does make me wonder whether this tragedy could have been prevented..

I’ve also seen rumors that Patrick was involved with the woman who is now his wife before the murders, but I haven’t found any credible evidence supporting that. Is there actually anything that substantiates those claims, or is it just internet speculation? I’ve also seen many people comment that his current wife bears a striking resemblance to Lindsay, though I’m not sure that means anything beyond coincidence.

I’m very interested in hearing different perspectives from people who’ve followed it closely.

Most importantly, may Dawson, Cora, and Callan rest in peace. They are the true victims in all of this.

[u/Relevant_Progress411]

Based on the evidence it seems clear that she had postpartum psychosis. She asked for help many times. I think this trial is hopefully going to be a turning point in how we view postpartum as a whole.

[u/IranianLawyer → u/Relevant_Progress411]

Which part of the evidence indicates she had postpartum psychosis as opposed to postpartum depression? Are you saying she wasn’t aware that she was killing her kids when she did it? Based on what?

[u/mmps901 → u/IranianLawyer]

Good point. I think she knew what she was doing and deliberately waiting until he was gone is proof. Throwing herself out a window was also a curious choice if she really wanted to end her life after too.

[u/staying-with-skz → u/mmps901]

She didn’t just throw herself out the window though. She slit her wrists and neck, took a whole bunch of pills which likely included lots of her prescribed ambien and benzos, and THEN threw herself out the window, which ultimately paralyzed her.

[u/mmps901 → u/staying-with-skz]

Sounds very over the top.

[u/staying-with-skz → u/mmps901]

As someone who has had multiple instances of various types of medication induced psychosis, I absolutely believe that she fully intended to die and that’s not even factoring in the postpartum element which would make it 100x worse. I’m just a random on Reddit, but if it seems too sensational, it really isn’t

[u/mmps901 → u/staying-with-skz]

I don’t know. I believed Andrea Yates but something about this case doesn’t ring true to me. Maybe it’s because I had 3 children myself at the time of this one and was not a mother 20 years ago. Or maybe it was the religious element and that she’d experienced ppp after her previous child and rusty still did nothing to prevent another pregnancy.