On January 24, 2023, Lindsay Clancy, a 32-year-old labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, allegedly strangled her three children — Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (7-8 months) — with an exercise band in their home at 47 Summer Street in Duxbury, Massachusetts. She had reportedly devised an errand to send her husband Patrick out of the house for approximately 25 minutes. After strangling the children, she jumped from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt, fracturing her spine and becoming paralyzed from the waist down. Her husband returned, discovered the children unconscious with obvious signs of trauma, and called 911. Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Plymouth; Callan was airlifted to Boston Children's Hospital, where he later died. Clancy had been suffering from postpartum depression following the birth of her youngest child and had been prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in a four-month period. She reported hearing a male voice commanding her to kill the children and herself. She was charged with murder and strangulation counts and was later indicted by a grand jury.
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)
All four documents describe the children being strangled. 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: "He said that it appeared the children were strangled." The Fox News article's headline describes "strangling her three young children." The NBC Montana article states the children "were strangled in their home."
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?
After strangling her three children, Lindsay Clancy attempted suicide. The NYT article states: "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." The NBC Montana article states: "Investigators said she also tried to kill herself. ... she is paralyzed from the waist down after jumping out of a second floor window." This constitutes a murder-suicide incident (murder completed, suicide attempted).
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?
Lindsay Clancy is the biological mother of all three children and is the person accused of strangling them. The WCVB article identifies her as "32-year-old Lindsay Clancy" and states she was "charged in the deaths of her children." The NYT article describes her strangling "her three children." The Fox News article states she is "accused of strangling her three young 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 charged and arrested. 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 Fox News article describes the arrest warrant as including "two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon." 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?
Multiple documents extensively reference the mother's mental health. The NYT article states: "Ms. Clancy had repeatedly sought help for postpartum depression, eventually being prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in a four-month period. But suicidal thoughts kept surfacing, culminating in a break on Jan. 24." It also states she reported hearing "a man's voice, telling her to kill the kids and kill herself" and described a "moment of psychosis." The Fox News article notes "speculation based off recent Facebook posts that Clancy suffered from postpartum depression." The NBC Montana article states she "was having a mental health crisis."
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the documents that materially affect a researcher's understanding: (1) The NYT article states that the mother's defense argued she "had repeatedly sought help for postpartum depression, eventually being prescribed 13 psychiatric medications in a four-month period," raising potential concerns about the adequacy of her psychiatric care and medication management. (2) The mother was a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, as confirmed by the Fox News and WCVB articles. (3) During the arraignment, she was paralyzed and confined to a hospital bed; the NYT article describes her as unable to "do anything but listen." (4) The prosecution argued the killings were methodically planned — the NYT article states she "concocted an errand that would keep her husband, Patrick, out of the house for about 25 minutes." (5) The NBC Montana article reports that Patrick Clancy ran the 2024 Boston Marathon in his children's honor, raising more than $72,000 for Boston Children's Hospital. (6) Notably, three children from the same family were victims — Cora (5), Dawson (3), and Callan (7-8 months) — all died as a result of the same incident.
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