Vigil held for two children strangled to death by their midwife mother before she jumped out window

A vigil was held Thursday night for two Massachusetts children, ages three and five, who were strangled to death by their mother before she attempted to kill her eight-month-old baby and jumped out of the top window of her Massachusetts home.

Midwife Lindsay Clancy, 32, and her eight-month-old baby both survived the apparent homicide-suicide attempt – but Cora, five, and Dawson, three, were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Witnesses said the baby had been given CPR at the scene.

Holy Family Church in Duxbury stood vigil for the family and show appreciation for the first responders who tended to the shocking aftermath of the incident. 

The Very Rev. Fr. Robert Deehan, who presided over the event, said ‘before this tragic event, they were a happy and loving family. Sadly, the struggle Lindsay had in trying to deal with mental illness became overwhelming which led to such devastating results.’ 

A vigil was held Thursday night for two Massachusetts children, Dawson Clancy (pictured second from left), 3, and Cora Clancy (pictured second from right), 5, who were strangled to death by their mother Lindsay (pictured left) before she attempted to kill her eight-month-old baby and jumped out of the top window of her Massachusetts home

A vigil was held Thursday night for two Massachusetts children, Dawson Clancy (pictured second from left), 3, and Cora Clancy (pictured second from right), 5, who were strangled to death by their mother Lindsay (pictured left) before she attempted to kill her eight-month-old baby and jumped out of the top window of her Massachusetts home

Sources told WBZ-TV Wednesday that investigators are looking at the possibility that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis. 

The vigil comes as Matthew Glaser – who described himself as an extended family member – started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money to help husband and father Patrick Clancy, 34, who returned home at around 6pm on Tuesday to find his wife had tried to kill herself and immediately called the police, pay for medical bills, funeral services, and legal help.

Within 14 hours, the page had shot past its original goal of $250,000 and has now raised over $324,000, including a donation from Boston Bruins star defenseman Charlie McAvoy, according to the Boston Herald.  

‘This assistance is especially needed because Pat will be unable to work for the foreseeable future as he weathers this painful, life-altering tragedy,’ Glaser wrote. 

‘We all know Pat to be the most kind and genuine person. As someone who is always willing to support others, we sincerely thank you for offering yours.’

Fr. Robert Deehan (pictured), who presided over the event, said 'before this tragic event, they were a happy and loving family. Sadly, the struggle Lindsay had in trying to deal with mental illness became overwhelming which led to such devastating results.'

Fr. Robert Deehan (pictured), who presided over the event, said ‘before this tragic event, they were a happy and loving family. Sadly, the struggle Lindsay had in trying to deal with mental illness became overwhelming which led to such devastating results.’

Holy Family Church in Duxbury stood vigil for the family and show appreciation for the first responders who tended to the shocking aftermath of the incident

Holy Family Church in Duxbury stood vigil for the family and show appreciation for the first responders who tended to the shocking aftermath of the incident

Hundreds of broken-hearted Duxbury community members sang 'Let There Be Peace on Earth' at the vigil

Hundreds of broken-hearted Duxbury community members sang ‘Let There Be Peace on Earth’ at the vigil 

The vigil comes as Matthew Glaser - who described himself as an extended family member - started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money to help husband and father Patrick Clancy, 34, pay for medical bills, funeral services and legal help.

The vigil comes as Matthew Glaser – who described himself as an extended family member – started a GoFundMe page to try and raise money to help husband and father Patrick Clancy, 34, pay for medical bills, funeral services and legal help.

Christine Monaghan, who coached 5-year-old Cora Clancy’s youth soccer team, remembered a little girl whom she described as ‘happy, learning and having fun. 

‘She didn’t deserve this,’ she told the Patriot Ledger.  

Lindsay, who is under police custody, will be arraigned once she is released from the hospital on charges including two counts of homicide and three each for strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon for the deaths of her two children. 

Lindsay Clancy’s husband Patrick had ‘popped out for 25 minutes’ to collect a takeout order on Tuesday night – but he returned to find his wife unconscious. 

Friends of the family now claim that Patrick had started working from home to keep a watchful eye on his wife – who was also in an ‘intensive’ post-partum depression clinic five days a week. 

Father Patrick Clancy was out for 25 minutes to grab takeout for his family when he found his wife, Lindsay, unconscious after dropping for their second-floor window. Inside their home, daughter Cora (left) and son Dawson (right) were dead

Father Patrick Clancy was out for 25 minutes to grab takeout for his family when he found his wife, Lindsay, unconscious after dropping for their second-floor window. Inside their home, daughter Cora (left) and son Dawson (right) were dead 

Lindsay had shared that she was suffering from postpartum anxiety following the birth of her third child, who survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt

Lindsay had shared that she was suffering from postpartum anxiety following the birth of her third child, who survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt 

Local radio presenter John DePetro reported that friends of the depressed mother said: ‘Her husband was working from home instead of going in to work to be able to try and support her daily while she went to a program 5 days a week for PPD. 

‘And in the 25 minutes it took him to pick up takeout, the unthinkable happened.’ 

Investigators are now looking into the possibility that Lindsay, 32, was suffering from postpartum psychosis. The mother-of-three had also previously shared online that she was struggling with postpartum anxiety. 

While Lindsay appeared to be a proud mother on Facebook, she shared about struggling with postpartum anxiety after the birth of her latest child.  

Last July, she wrote that six weeks after the child’s birth, she was feeling ‘dialed in’ and sought to focus on exercise, nutrition and her mindset, which she claimed ‘made all the difference.’ 

In 2020, she wrote online: ‘So unbelievably thankful for this family and life,’ along with doting images of her children, reports Boston Globe. 

Friends said Patrick was working from home to help 32-year-old Lindsay, who was allegedly attending an 'intensive' postpartum depression program five days a week

Friends said Patrick was working from home to help 32-year-old Lindsay, who was allegedly attending an ‘intensive’ postpartum depression program five days a week

A memorial of flowers and toys was set up outside the home in Duxbury, Massachusetts

A memorial of flowers and toys was set up outside the home in Duxbury, Massachusetts

Neighbors and those who do not know the family have added their own offerings

Neighbors and those who do not know the family have added their own offerings 

Individuals were seen coming and going throughout the day Thursday outside of the home

Individuals were seen coming and going throughout the day Thursday outside of the home

Feelings of depression can be common after childbirth, but on rare occasions, they can lead to full postpartum psychosis. 

In this extreme form of PPD, a mother can suffer from severe depression and hallucinations which can lead her to harm herself, her children, or both. 

The mother of three was on leave from her job as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. 

Officers arrived at the family home on Tuesday after the frantic husband had discovered his wife unconscious on the ground below a second-floor window.

They discovered the three young children ‘unconscious’ upstairs ‘with obvious signs of trauma’. It appears they had all been strangled Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said. 

Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival to hospital

Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival to hospital

Pictured: A well-wisher dropping off items on Wednesday for the memorial over the tragedy that befell the community

Pictured: A well-wisher dropping off items on Wednesday for the memorial over the tragedy that befell the community

Pictured: A car parked in the Clancys' home with a 'Baby on Board' sticker

Pictured: A car parked in the Clancys’ home with a ‘Baby on Board’ sticker 

It's a shocking story for the typically quiet Massachusetts suburb

It’s a shocking story for the typically quiet Massachusetts suburb  

Some simply stopped by to pay their respects to the children

Some simply stopped by to pay their respects to the children

Five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital while the seven-month-old baby was flown to Boston’s Children’s Hospital where he is alive and being treated by medics. Witnesses said the baby had been given CPR at the scene. 

‘We’re all heartbroken right now,’ Lindsay Clancey’s father-in-law, Christopher Clancy, told the Boston Globe.  

On Wednesday, two Plymouth women, Donna Jesse, who identified herself as an aunt of the children, and Rita Musgrove, who said she was their great-grandmother, left a bouquet of pink, red, and white roses outside the family’s home.  

‘They were beautiful, beautiful children,’ Jesse told the Boston Globe. Musgrove added: ‘It’s pretty shocking’.

John Sullivan, a neighbor whose yard is adjacent to the backyard at 47 Summer St., said he got a call Tuesday night from his son who told him a woman ‘was laying down in the backyard.’ 

Lindsay and her seven-month-old son survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt and they are both being treated in hospitals in Boston. Pictured: Lindsay pictured with her surviving child in a Facebook post from September 2022

Lindsay and her seven-month-old son survived the apparent murder-suicide attempt and they are both being treated in hospitals in Boston. Pictured: Lindsay pictured with her surviving child in a Facebook post from September 2022

Police said Lindsay jumped from the second floor window of her home

Police said Lindsay jumped from the second floor window of her home 

Pictured: Duxbury Police work at the scene where the two children were found dead

Pictured: Duxbury Police work at the scene where the two children were found dead

He said he rushed to his neighbor’s property where he saw first responders performing CPR on a baby outside

Heartbreaking pictures show Cora, right and Dawson, left, smiling together

Heartbreaking pictures show Cora, right and Dawson, left, smiling together

‘Everybody is in a state of disbelief, it is tragic, the whole neighborhood is trying to process this whole thing,’ Sullivan told CBS Boston.

In a press conference Cruz said of the family: ‘I cannot begin to fathom the pain, the depths of pain they must be feeling.

‘This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy, and it is an ongoing investigation.’

Cruz warned ‘nobody’s here to speculate’, adding ‘we’re well aware of the fact that anybody charged with a criminal crime is presumed innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.’

He wrapped up the conference by saying: ‘Certainly our hearts and condolences go up to the Clancy family’.

Lindsay, pictured with Cora as a baby, is a midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital

Lindsay, pictured with Cora as a baby, is a midwife at Massachusetts General Hospital 

Lindsay pictured with her husband Patrick, 34, who called authorities after finding her lying unconscious outside their home on Tuesday evening

Lindsay pictured with her husband Patrick, 34, who called authorities after finding her lying unconscious outside their home on Tuesday evening 

Pictured: The backyard playground where the Clancy children played

Pictured: The backyard playground where the Clancy children played 

Cruz said they will now conduct autopsies to determine how the children died. Findings will be made public when a death certificate is issued.

The hospital where Lindsay works said in a statement: ‘We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events.’ 

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call the 24hr National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255; contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741; or chat with someone online at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.   

Postpartum Depression: How struggling new mothers can experience extreme effects, from ‘baby blues’ to psychosis

New mothers can often experience anxiety and depression after child birth, but those feelings can intensify and endure into Postpartum Depression (PPD) and Psychosis.  

The first stage is often referred to as the ‘Baby Blues,’ which typically only lasts a few days to two weeks after child birth. 

These blues typically cause mild mood swings, anxiety, sadness, irritability, crying, appetite problems and trouble sleeping. 

If those feelings persist, the blues can be diagnosed as PPD, which is linked to chemical, social and psychological changes that take place after having a baby, and can be treated with medication and counseling. 

Symptoms of PPD include: severe mood swings, inability to sleep, feelings of hopelessness, severe anxiety and panic attacks, and thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. 

PPD can affect 1 in 10 mothers, but if not treated, the condition can worsen and evolve to Post Partum Psychosis. 

This serious mental illness often happens within the first three months after child birth and occurs in about one in 1,000 new mothers. 

Under Postpartum Psychosis, women can experience hallucinations, delusions, insomnia and paranoia. 

In its most extreme form, women with Postpartum Psychosis can make attempts at harming themselves, their children, or both.  

PPD is threadedly differently depending on the types of symptoms and severity. 

The conditions is typically treated with anti-anxiety or antidepressant medication, psychotherapy and participation in emotional support groups.

Source: The Mayo Clinic 

 

source: dailymail.co.uk