If you've spent any time online recently, you've probably heard the name Lindsay Clancy. The 36-year-old mom of three is currently on trial in Massachusetts for killing her three young children.
The heartbreaking trial, which is captivating social media users across the world, officially began on July 20, 2026, and proceedings are expected to continue for several more weeks. Keep reading to learn more about Lindsay and the tragic case.
What is Lindsay Clancy accused of?
Lindsay is accused of killing her three young children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months – in January 2023. The details of the murders are gruesome, with prosecutors arguing that Lindsay used exercise bands to strangle her children before attempting to kill herself.
© Getty ImagesThe former labor and delivery nurse was paralyzed from the waist down after she jumped out of the second story of her Duxbury, Massachusetts home. Lindsay's ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, who was running errands at the time of the murders, found Lindsay in the front yard before calling 911 and finding his children in the basement.
Why is the Lindsay Clancy case controversial?
Before Lindsay allegedly killed her three children, she was struggling with her mental health. Starting in 2022, she was prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications across different providers.
While Lindsay doesn't deny killing her children, she and her defense lawyer, Kevin Reddington, argue that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time after being overprescribed medications by medical professionals, thus she is not guilty by an insanity defense.
© Getty Images"This is a woman that did not get the medication, did not get the medical treatment that she so deserved," Kevin said in court, explaining that Lindsay called a suicide hotline, went to an emergency room and even checked herself into a psychiatric hospital for several days.
On the opposite side, Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham argues that Lindsay was of sound mind when she planned and murdered her children and has urged jurors not to view the trial as "a public debate about women's mental health and how the medical system treats women," but rather to focus on the specific actions Lindsay took and the intent behind them.
What is postpartum psychosis?
Lindsay's lawyer argues that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her children. Postpartum psychosis, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a mental health emergency that affects a person's sense of reality, causing hallucinations, delusions, or paranoia.
© Getty ImagesIt's incredibly rare, affecting between 0.089 and 2.6 out of every 1,000 births, happening between 320 and 9,400 births each year in the United States.
The internet's role in the Lindsay Clancy case
Lindsay's case has taken over the internet, with thousands of takes flooding social media. Recently, the defense requested that Emily Thorndike be allowed to take the stand.
© Getty ImagesEmily is a licensed independent clinical social worker who made a viral TikTok, which has been liked by over 280,000 likes, about her experience working at McLean Hospital, where Lindsay was briefly committed in December 2022.
During her 10-minute video, she claimed that the prosecutors on the case misrepresented the level of care at McLean while questioning Patrick. Kevin Reddington argues that Emily could provide relevant testimony about the hospital. As of Friday, August 14, the judge has not given his decision on the social worker being added to the witness list.
