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Patrick Clancy described in the CBS broadcast how he chose to forgive his ex-wife Lindsay despite the unimaginable loss of their children, saying he believed her mental illness was the true cause rather than any inherent flaw in her character. He recalled seeing media headlines that called her a “killer mom,” “baby murderer” and “monster,” none of which he said were accurate. “I believe that it was her mental illness that caused that,” Clancy stated in the interview. “And I think when it comes to forgiveness, I also felt that if I didn’t get there, I would be eaten up inside forever.” He added that Lindsay had never asked for his forgiveness but that he gave it to her anyway.
Clancy recounted asking Lindsay whether she remembered killing their children, Cora, Dawson and Callan, to which she responded that the event felt like a dream. The father detailed arriving home on January 24, 2023, to find two of the children already dead and holding eight-month-old Callan as the infant died in his arms, telling the child he was sorry. He acknowledged struggling with suicidal thoughts in the weeks that followed, saying at one point he did not think he would live to see his 35th birthday.
Lindsay Clancy had been experiencing severe postpartum depression after Callan’s birth, seeking treatment that included multiple medications, visits to the emergency room and a stay in a psychiatric facility, according to testimony from her 2026 trial in Plymouth County Superior Court. On the day of the killings in their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home, she used exercise bands to strangle five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson and Callan before jumping from a window in a suicide attempt that left her paralyzed. Patrick Clancy, who was out running errands at her request, has said he did the best he could to support her during her declining mental health in the preceding months.
The ensuing murder trial, which began in July 2026, centered on whether Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths or was in the throes of postpartum psychosis that rendered her not guilty by reason of insanity. Defense experts including forensic psychiatrist Phillip Resnick testified that she was psychotic on the day of the incident, experiencing command hallucinations from a male voice that overpowered her will. Prosecution witnesses countered that her symptoms did not meet the threshold for psychosis and that she had planned the acts deliberately.
After five weeks of testimony and a week of deliberations, the jury deadlocked at 11 to 1, leading to a mistrial on September 4, according to court officials. Prosecutors have not yet said whether they will seek a retrial. The case has drawn comparisons to that of Andrea Yates, the Texas mother who drowned her five children in 2001 and was eventually found not guilty by reason of insanity due to severe postpartum psychosis, as noted in legal analyses of the Clancy proceedings.
Postpartum psychosis remains a rare condition that affects between one and two women per 1,000 births, often linked to underlying bipolar disorder and carrying risks of hallucinations, delusions and mood swings, according to medical experts who have commented on similar high-profile cases. In the Clancy trial, experts debated whether her prescribed antidepressants may have worsened her symptoms, with the defense arguing the health care system had failed her. Patrick Clancy has since divorced Lindsay, remarried New York infertility specialist Dr. Rachel Danis and relocated to Manhattan, where the couple said they are starting a new family while honoring the memories of Cora, Dawson and Callan.
Clancy emphasized in the interview that he lives with the outcome of the tragedy every day but stands by his assessment that he supported his then-wife as best he could with the information available at the time. His new wife described him as a selfless father who continues to grieve while looking forward. The couple noted that online conspiracy theories accusing Patrick of involvement in the deaths have caused additional harm, distracting from broader discussions on perinatal mental health.
