A Massachusetts mom accused of killing her three children was reportedly turned away from a specialized mental health program just weeks before the tragedy, because doctors feared she was overmedicated, according to new court testimony.
Lindsay Clancy, 35, called a nurse practitioner on December 15, 2022, alongside her husband Patrick, saying she was having “persistent and intrusive thoughts of suicide.” The couple reportedly told the provider, “This has been the worst day for Lindsay.”
Nurse practitioner Rebecca Jollotta testified that Clancy had no active plan to harm herself, but the couple said they were considering heading to the emergency room at Mass General Hospital or checking into McLean Hospital.
Clancy did go to the ER that day but ultimately decided against McLean. Instead, she chose to enter an outpatient program at Women and Infants Hospital in Rhode Island.
But when she showed up on December 20, the hospital reportedly turned her away. During cross-examination, Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington asked Jollotta if she knew the hospital refused Clancy because of concerns she was overmedicated. Jollotta said she couldn’t speak to that, as she wasn’t affiliated with that facility.
Court documents claim Clancy had been prescribed multiple powerful psychiatric medications by different doctors in the weeks before the killings. Jollotta had treated Clancy from late November to mid-December 2022, and even raised the possibility that Clancy might have bipolar disorder.
Patrick Clancy reportedly pushed back on that idea, telling Jollotta, “My wife is not bipolar.”
Jollotta testified that Clancy had strong reactions to antidepressants like Zoloft and Prozac, including not sleeping for 48 hours without feeling tired, which can be a symptom of a manic episode.
Still, Jollotta said she never believed Clancy was in psychosis.
Clancy eventually checked into McLean on New Year’s Day 2023, staying for five days before asking to leave to attend her oldest child’s birthday.
On January 24, 2023, Clancy allegedly killed her three children—Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan—using exercise bands. She then reportedly tried to take her own life by cutting her wrists and throat and jumping from a second-story window. The fall left her partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
Her defense team is arguing she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, claiming she was misdiagnosed and overmedicated.
As the trial continues, one big question remains: Could more have been done to stop this tragedy before it was too late?
