Lindsay Clancy, the mother who is facing at least two counts of murder in the deaths of her children, remains recovering in a Boston hospital from the injuries she suffered while jumping out of a window.
Ms Clancy, 32, stands accused of strangling her five-year-old daughter Cora and three-year-old son Dawson inside the home she shared with her children and husband Patrick in Doxbury, Massachusetts, last week. Both Cora and Dawson died at a nearby hospital; Ms Clancy’s youngest child, seven-month-old Callan, was pronounced dead on Friday.
Law enforcement officials have said they believed that Ms Clancy attacked her children before jumping out of a second-story window in their home. She was allegedly suffering from severe postpartum psychosis after giving birth to her youngest son.
Officers responding to the scene found Ms Clancy and her children unconcious. Shortly thereafter, they issued an arrest warrant for Ms Clancy on two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. She may face more charges in the coming days.
Ms Clancy, who grew up in Wallingford, Connecticut and holds a degree from Quinnipiac University, worked as a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Postpartum psychosis occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries, according to Postpartum Support International. Risk factors include a previous psychotic episode and personal or family history of bipolar disorder.
A GoFundMe drive set up to support Mr Clancy as he navigates the aftermath of the trauma has already raised in excess of $995,000 as of Thursday morning out of its $1m goal.
In an update posted to the site on Saturday, Mr Clancy offered a note of thanks for the support he has recieved from community members and recollections of each of his four family members.
“The shock and pain is excruciating and relentless,” Mr Clancy wrote. “I’m constantly reminded of them and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them on repeat. Any parent knows, it’s impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them. The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I’m completely lost without them.”
Mr Clancy wrote that he fell in love with Ms Clancy at first site and that their marriage was “wonderful” and “diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened.”
“I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have,” Mr Clancy wrote. “The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”
