DUXBURY, Mass. (WPRI) — The Massachusetts woman accused of strangling her three kids to death had previously looked up “ways to kill” online, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.
Lindsay Clancy, 33, has been charged with three counts each of murder and strangulation. She is scheduled to be arraigned from her hospital bed Thursday morning.
Clancy, who’s now paralyzed from the waist down, has been held without bail at Tewksbury Hospital since January. She’s accused of strangling her three children with exercise bands inside their Summer Street home before trying to take her own life.
Her eldest children, 5-year-old Cora Clancy and 3-year-old Dawson Clancy, were rushed to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Her youngest child, 7-month-old Callan Clancy, spent several days in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.
Detectives removed Lindsay’s iPhone, laptop and tablet from their home. Court documents reveal that investigators plan to search those devices because she likely used them to plan the deaths of her children and attempted suicide.
The court documents did not specify how investigators knew Lindsay had used her electronic devices to research ways to kill but explained that “it is reasonable to conclude that [she] would have used all formats and tools available to her.”
Prosecutors previously noted that Lindsay had sent her husband to pick up takeout from a restaurant the family doesn’t normally go to, and that she reportedly used Apple Maps to determine how long it would take him to return home.
Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, has repeatedly claimed that she sought treatment for post-partum depression and was overprescribed psychiatric medication.
The court documents provide further insight into Lindsay’s mental state. Her husband Patrick Clancy, told investigators she “was beginning to get anxious prior to her return to work at Massachusetts General Hospital as a labor and delivery nurse.”
Lindsay reportedly sought the help of two psychiatrists, who each prescribed her various medications to treat depression, anxiety and psychosis.
Patrick explained that she “would take as many as four medications a day,” though she would only do so as prescribed, according to court documents.
He also told investigators his wife had been “having suicidal thoughts as well as thoughts of hurting the children.” In response, court documents state that Lindsay admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital for a few days.
Patrick reportedly reached out to a college friend and expressed concern for his wife prior to the incident. His friend told investigators he felt as if he should get more involved with her treatment since she was going to her appointments alone.
The GoFundMe page created to support to Clancy family has surpassed $1 million. In a statement, Patrick asked everyone to forgive his wife.
“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone – me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients,” he said. “The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”
Patrick stated he plans to put all his energy into healing and rediscover his purpose.
“Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don’t know if the pain will ever go away, but I’ll do my best to carry on in your honor,” he continued.