911 call from Lindsay Clancy’s ex-husband after he discovered their dead kids is heard in court

Warning: This article contains discussion of child death and suicide, which some readers may find distressing.

As the triple murder trial of Lindsay Clancy continues, the harrowing 911 call made by her ex-husband when he discovered her attempted suicide and the murder of their three children has been played to the court.

Jurors and the court listened to the devastating call for help Patrick Clancy made when he returned home on 24 January, 2023 to find his wife severely injured and their three children dead.

Patrick made the call after returning from running errands to find a horrific scene, in which Lindsay had strangled their children - Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan - with exercise bands and attempted suicide by cutting her throat and wrists and falling from the bedroom window.

The recording, which lasted around seven minutes and wasn't made available to the public, features Patrick speaking with his wife after he discovered her badly injured and covered in blood in their yard.

Lindsay Clancy is on trial for the murder of her three children, which she carried out in January 2023 before attempting to take her own life (Boston25 News)

Per court reports, he is heard saying: “Look at me, say my name," before telling the dispatcher on the line that he was going to check on the kids.

He can then be heard screaming in horror and crying upon finding their lifeless bodies in the basement of their house.

The dispatcher repeatedly asks Patrick what has happened, to which he screams: “She killed the kids!”

As this was played to the court, Lindsay was seen visibly sobbing with her head in her hands.

The trial began this month after Lindsay pleaded not guilty, with her defence team arguing that she acted out of postpartum psychosis. They say she was suffering from the rare condition, which is triggered by stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes in the wake of childbirth.

Her lawyers told the court on Monday that Lindsay had been hearing voices which were telling her: “This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself."

Lindsay was seen sobbing as the 911 call was played to the court (Law&Crime)

However, prosecutors insist she 'acted intentionally' and is therefore criminally responsible.

Patrick has said that he forgives his ex-wife, and that he regards her as ill rather than evil.

As well as the 911 call, jurors were shown CCTV footage from the pharmacy of Patrick on the phone to Lindsay to clarify something about the medicine - which is when it's believed she murdered their children.

“She was pretty quiet. It sounded like she was busy, I remember hanging up thinking she was probably in the middle of giving baths or something like that."

He returned home to a silent house, and went upstairs to find blood throughout the main bedroom and the window open.

When he rushed down to find Lindsay gravely injured in the yard, she confessed she’d tried to kill herself and that the kids were in the basement, but did not tell him they were dead.

Plymouth County Assistant District Attorney, Shanan Buckingham, alleged in court: "One by one, [Lindsay] grabbed exercise bands around each one of the kids’ necks and pulled until their little bodies were limp and lifeless."

Prosecutors claim Lindsay acted 'intentionally', while her attorneys claim she was suffering from postpartum psychosis (Plymouth Superior Court)

Timeline of Lindsay Clancy case

May 2022

Lindsay gives birth to her third child, Callan.

She’s open about her postpartum struggles with her other two kids on social media. Six weeks after Callan’s birth, she posts that she’s feeling ‘dialed in’ while focusing on exercise, nutrition, and mindset, and ‘it has made all the difference’.

September 2022

As the end of her maternity leave nears, Lindsay, who works as a labour and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, starts to experience anxiety about returning to work.

She visits two different psychiatrists and receives a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder.

Lindsay is prescribed several different psychiatric medications.

October 2022

According to court docs, she writes in a note on her phone: “I think I sort of resent my other children because they prevent me from treating Cal like my first baby. And I know that’s not fair to them. I know that. I was feeling so depressed last evening when Cora and Dawson came home from school, I know it runs off on them, so we had a pretty rough evening, I want to feel love and connection with all my kids.”

December 2022

Lindsay undergoes an evaluation at the Women and Infants Hospital Center for Women’s Behavioral Health. She is not diagnosed with postpartum depression, prosecutors say.

Lindsay’s husband Patrick tells police she is having suicidal thoughts and thoughts of harming their children, according to his testimony in court.

1-5 January, 2023

Lindsay admits herself to McLean Hospital for psychiatric treatment. She is discharged after five days as clinicians do not believe she poses an imminent danger to herself or others, prosecutors say.

22 January, 2023

Lindsay, Patrick, Cora and Dawson have dinner at family friend Kyle Carney’s home. Kyle later tells police that Lindsay ‘seemed fairly normal’.

23 January, 2023

According to prosecutors, Lindsay pens a note on her phone which says she has ‘a touch of postpartum anxiety’ about going back to work.

24 January, 2023

Prosecutors allege the following took place this day:

Morning: Lindsay takes Cora to a scheduled pediatrician appointment. After returning home, they play in the snow with Dawson. She sends photos of the kids to Patrick and her mom.

4:02pm: Lindsay searches for ‘kids Miralax’ (a laxative) on her phone, and 11 minutes later looks up ‘take out 3v’, referring to restaurant ThreeV in Plymouth. She uses Apple Maps to calculate how long it would take to drive from the family’s home to ThreeV.

4:47pm: Lindsay rings a CVS in Kingston to ask if they have any Miralax in stock. A manager tells her they don’t, but they do have similar medications.

The manager later tells authorities that she did not slur her words or sound impaired during the call.

4:35pm: Lindsay texts Patrick, who is working from home: “Any chance you want to do takeout from 3V … I didn’t cook anything … It’s been a long day.”

Patrick says yes, and Lindsay asks him to ‘check the menu when you can’.

5:10pm: Lindsay calls ThreeV to place the order.

5:15pm: Lindsay allegedly texts Patrick: “Pedialax liquid stool softener.” He then leaves to pick up the medication.

5:33pm: When Patrick arrives at CVS, he rings Lindsay, but she doesn’t pick up. She rings back one minute later and confirms the medication.

5:54pm: Patrick gets to ThreeV, pays for the food and leaves.

6:09pm: Patrick returns home. “The first thing he noticed was the silence,” prosecutors say. “He did not see or hear the defendant or the children.”

Patrick calls for his wife but gets no response. He discovers their second-floor bedroom is locked. Patrick eventually manages to get in the room but sees blood on the floor and an open window. He runs outside and finds Lindsay lying on the ground, according to prosecutors.

6:11pm: Prosecutors say that Patrick rings 911 and Lindsay is saying: “I tried to kill myself and jumped out the window.”

He is then said to ask Lindsay: “Where are the kids?” She responds: “In the basement.”

While on the call, Patrick goes down to the basement and is heard ‘screaming in agony’,

Cora and Callan are discovered on the floor of the den. Dawson is found in his dad’s home office.

When officers arrive at the scene, Patrick alleges: “She killed the kids.”

Lindsay is taken to hospital, where she is treated for injuries that leave her paralysed below the waist. The three children are also rushed to hospital.

7:28pm: Cora and Dawson are pronounced dead. Callan is medically flown to another children’s hospital.

25 January, 2023

Police issue Lindsay an arrest warrant, charging her with two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

27 January, 2023

Callan is pronounced dead at 11.18am.

According to Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague, Lindsay later wakes up and uses a whiteboard to ask: “Do I need an attorney?”

6 February, 2023

While in the presence of a psychologist hired by her lawyer, Lindsay calls Patrick and tells him she had a ‘moment of psychosis’ and heard ‘a man’s voice telling her to kill the kids and kill herself’ after he left on January 24.

7 February, 2023

On the day of her arraignment, Lindsay’s attorney says that she’s still suicidal. She pleads not guilty to three counts of murder.

October 2024

Patrick asks the public to forgive Lindsay, telling The New Yorker: “I wasn’t married to a monster - I was married to someone who got sick.”

January 2026

Lindsay and Patrick file a civil lawsuit, accusing medical providers of not properly diagnosing, treating and monitoring her for a ‘severe postpartum psychiatric condition’.

9 July, 2026

The Plymouth County District Attorney's Office says the three counts of strangulation would be subsumed into the murder charges.

27 July, 2026

Lindsay’s murder trial begins.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line at 116 123, or contact Harmless by visiting their website at https://harmless.org.uk.

If you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5 pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58, and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.