2 children dead, mother and infant in hospital after incident at Duxbury home
DUXBURY - Sources told the WBZ-TV I-Team a Duxbury mother is expected to survive following a horrific incident that left two young children dead and a third in the hospital. The sources say investigators are looking at postpartum psychosis as a possible cause. The woman was identified Wednesday as 32-year-old Lindsay Clancy.
Police were called to the house on Summer Street just after 6 p.m. Tuesday. A man who lives there came home and discovered the woman first, reporting she attempted to take her own life.
Inside the house, police and firefighters found three children unconscious with what they described as "obvious signs of trauma."
A 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy were taken to the hospital and pronounced dead. An 8-month-old boy was rushed to a Boston hospital on a medical rescue helicopter. There's no word yet on his condition or that of the mother.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said Wednesday the children appeared to have been strangled.
"This is an unimaginable senseless tragedy," Cruz told reporters Tuesday night.
Investigators are seeking to charge Clancy with the homicides.
Massachusetts General Hospital confirmed Wednesday that Clancy is an MGH employee.
"We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy. We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Cruz said the incident is isolated and there is no threat to the community. Police were still at the house Wednesday as a woman left flowers outside for the family.
The officers who first responded to the home have been taken off of duty for now because of what they witnessed inside.
"The first thought was, this poor family, how tragic. Clearly the woman was suffering, from my opinion, from postpartum depression. Automatically, my next thought was 'Oh my God, these poor first responders,'" said Jeffrey Zeizel, a clinical social worker who provides mental health services to first responders who encounter traumatic situations.
"I would say they need to get away from the scene. They also need to be with each other, so they can process together."
Zeizel said those who know this family, and even those who don't, will feel the weight of this tragedy.
"The community will be impacted so what is helpful for that is to actually have gatherings," he told WBZ-TV. "The community sometimes can rally around these events and they really need to take care of themselves."
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.
