A Massachusetts woman facing charges of killing her three children before attempting to end her own life has been indicted by a grand jury, prompting the transfer of her case to superior court, according to authorities.
Lindsay Clancy, 32, was indicted on charges of murder and strangulation by a Plymouth County grand jury in connection with the tragic deaths of her children, Cora, Dawson, and Callan, which occurred in January, as confirmed by the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.
The allegations against Clancy involve her purported act of tying exercise rope around the necks of her three children for several minutes. Subsequently, she inflicted self-harm and attempted to flee by jumping out of a window. This incident unfolded while her husband was away, running errands that she had arranged and timing his absence from the home.
Clancy, represented by a defense attorney who asserts that an overmedication of prescription psychiatric drugs led to homicidal and suicidal thoughts, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in February at Plymouth District Court while at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
With the grand jury indictment, Clancy will be arraigned once more, this time in Plymouth Superior Court. Authorities did not specify a date for the arraignment. Clancy has been hospitalized since the tragic events occurred at the family's Summer Street Home.
The community of Duxbury was deeply affected by the children's deaths, and local first responders received counseling for the distressing scene they encountered, an incident described by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz as an "unimaginable, senseless tragedy."
Details disclosed by prosecutors in previous court hearings have been deeply disturbing.
On the morning of January 24, Lindsay Clancy seemed to go about her day in a routine manner, taking her 5-year-old daughter Cora to a pediatrician's appointment. Her interactions with the receptionist, nursing staff, and doctor did not raise any concerns regarding her behavior. She left the appointment without any apparent issues.
Upon returning home, she engaged in outdoor activities with Cora and her 3-year-old son Dawson, playing in the snow and sending photos to her husband and mother, all without showing signs of distress or trouble. However, prosecutors assert that at this point, Clancy initiated a series of calculated events that ultimately resulted in the tragic deaths of her three children: Cora, Dawson, and her infant son Callan.
Clancy texted her husband, who was working in their basement office, asking him to purchase medicine for the children and dinner takeout from the store. Allegedly, she had conducted online searches regarding the medication, the recommended restaurant, and the estimated duration of his absence.
During the approximately 55 minutes her husband was away, the children were strangled by ligature in the basement of their home, according to prosecutors.
Cora and Dawson were pronounced dead at the scene, while Callan was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he remained on life support for several days before succumbing to his injuries.
Lindsay Clancy sustained injuries during her actions and was initially taken to South Shore Hospital before being transferred to a Boston-area hospital. Her attorney stated that she is paralyzed from the waist down, with little chance of regaining mobility in her lower body.
Patrick Clancy, her husband, later informed the police that his wife had been "having one of her best days" following prescription medications and her commitment to McLean Hospital, as stated by prosecutors. He later released a statement expressing forgiveness for his wife and appealing to others to do the same.
Lindsay Clancy had previously worked as a delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, and letters submitted to her lawyer and in court portrayed a contrasting image of her character, describing her as a devoted mother and a valuable source of motherhood and parenting advice to many of her friends.
Stacey Kabat, who first met Lindsay during her time as a student nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, expressed the heartbreak felt by her and others in the MassGeneral Brigham family since the tragic night in January. Kabat characterized Lindsay as a "strong, compassionate, and loving nurse" and emphasized that no one could have imagined her causing harm to anyone.