Hundreds attend prayer vigil for Clancy family and first responders in Duxbury
DUXBURY - A candlelight vigil was held in Duxbury Thursday night to offer prayers for the Clancy family, their friends and the first responders who came to their home during Tuesday's tragedy.
Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of strangling her three young children before trying to take her own life at the family's home on Summer Street. When her husband came home Tuesday evening, he found her in distress outside and called 911. When police arrived, they found the children inside.
Five-year-old Cora Clancy and her 3-year-old brother Dawson were rushed to the hospital but did not survive. Their 7-month-old baby brother is in a hospital in Boston fighting for his life.
They prayed Thursday night for the Clancy family. The priest described them as happy and loving before this week's tragedy.
"Pat, a husband and father. The children, Cora and Dawson, who sadly passed away, Callan, who remains hospitalized in critical condition and Pat's beloved wife, Lindsay," said Fr. Robert Deehan.
Holy Family Church was filled with people ready to support the family, even those who don't know them and struggle to understand how a mother reportedly struggling with serious mental health issues could allegedly harm her own kids.
"You try to understand it. It's hard to imagine how that could happen still, but I'm trying to learn," said Diane Monaghan of Duxbury.
"I don't know how I feel about the situation, she was sick, but I'm sure that was his heart," said Shaylee Alberghini of Duxbury. "He lost his kids and his wife. So, I just feel sad."
Along the walls inside the church, first responders and their families.
"For us, it's just unimaginable, but for those first responders, they witnessed that, and they have to live with that for the rest of their lives," said Debbie Heath, whose son is a firefighter and one of the first on the scene Tuesday night.
"It's still bothering him today," Heath said. "You know yesterday, when it's quiet, that's when you start. You are alone with your thoughts, and you know he just had a little breakdowns here and there, but hopefully every day it'll get a little bit better."
Sources told WBZ-TV's I-Team that Lindsay Clancy was allegedly struggling with postpartum psychosis, a serious condition that can cause delusions and hallucinations. She is on leave from her job as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was taken to a hospital after the incident. Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said she's currently in police custody and an arrest warrant has been issued for her. She will be charged with two counts of homicide and three counts each of strangulation and assault and battery with a deadly weapon. She'll be arraigned when she's well enough to go to court.
"There has been an allegation that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis so I suspect that's going to become part of the defense team's defense that perhaps she's not guilty by reason of insanity," legal analyst Jennifer Roman told WBZ-TV.
Click here for a list of mental health resources, including suicide prevention hotlines. A new maternal health hotline has also been established for mothers or pregnant people who are struggling with their mental health. Anyone in need of assistance can call 1-833-9-HELP4MOMS or 1-833-943-5746. You can call or text to receive support from trained counselors.