On the evening of January 24, 2023, 5-year-old Cora Clancy was strangled with an exercise band by her mother, Lindsay Clancy, 32, at their family home at 47 Summer Street in Duxbury, Massachusetts. The mother also strangled Cora's two siblings, Dawson (age 3) and baby Callan (7–8 months old), all of whom died. The mother had sent her husband Patrick on an errand to pick up takeout food, giving herself approximately 25 minutes alone with the children. After strangling the children, she attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window, fracturing her spine and becoming paralyzed. Lindsay Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse, had been suffering from postpartum depression and possible postpartum psychosis and had been prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in the four months preceding the killings. She was charged with first-degree murder, strangulation, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
The fatality report (MA-SFN-005463.pdf) lists the injury detail as "STRANGULATION" and cause as "ASPHYXIA." The NYT article states: "she had then strangled each of her children with an exercise band, an act that would require holding each of them down for at least four minutes." The WCVB article states: "All three had exercise bands tied around their necks."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
The mother strangled her three children and then attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window, fracturing her spine. The NYT article states: "she had then strangled each of her children with an exercise band... Then she leapt from a second-story window, a fall that fractured her spine." The WCVB article states: "Cruz said the man reported the attempted suicide of Clancy, who had jumped out of a window in the home." Although the mother survived, this constitutes an attempted murder-suicide incident.
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The biological mother, Lindsay Clancy, strangled all three of her children. The fatality report lists the manner as "HOMICIDE" with "STRANGULATION." The NYT article states: "Lindsay Clancy lay paralyzed in a hospital bed... unable to do anything but listen as lawyers told two narratives about how she had strangled her three children." Multiple sources confirm she was charged with murder and strangulation of her own children.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Lindsay Clancy was arrested and charged. The WCVB article states: "Cruz said an arrest warrant was issued Wednesday night for Clancy, charging her with two counts of homicide and three counts each of strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon." The NYT article adds that the DA is "prosecuting Ms. Clancy on charges of first-degree murder." The NBC Montana article confirms she "was indicted by a grand jury on murder and strangulation charges."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Mental health of the mother is a central theme across all documents. The NYT article describes extensive postpartum depression and possible psychosis: "Ms. Clancy had repeatedly sought help for postpartum depression, eventually being prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in a four-month period." She had a five-day inpatient stay at McLean Hospital, a psychiatric facility, and her defense argued the killings were "a product of mental illness." The NBC Montana article states she "was having a mental health crisis." The prosecutor reported she heard voices telling her to kill the children.
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The NYT article describes the mother's extensive use of prescribed psychiatric medications. The defense lawyer stated she "had been prescribed 13 psychiatric medications, an assortment of benzodiazepines, antidepressants, mood stabilizers and Ambien." She also described an adverse reaction to Zoloft. These were prescribed medications used by the parent/caregiver and are central to the circumstances of the case.
Notable Details
Several substantive details not covered by preceding questions are present. The NYT article reports the mother was prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in a 4-month period, and was released from McLean Hospital (a psychiatric facility) on January 5, less than three weeks before the killings, "without any warning that she posed a danger to herself or others." The husband reportedly told the doctor, "Please, you're turning her into a zombie." Two siblings—Dawson (3) and Callan (7–8 months old)—were also killed in the same incident. The defense planned to argue not guilty by reason of insanity, and a law professor quoted in the NYT article stated, "Society is way ahead of the law here," highlighting the tension between the prosecution's first-degree murder charges and broader public sympathy for a mother with severe mental illness. The case also underscores systemic mental health system failures, as the mother had repeatedly sought help but her postpartum psychosis was allegedly missed or inadequately treated.
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