Lindsay Clancy’s former mother-in-law, Susan Clancy, claims her former daughter-in-law was “begging for help” in the months leading up to the brutal killing of her three kids in January 2023.
“Lindsay was struggling — we were all concerned,” Susan, who is the mother of Lindsay’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, testified in court on Tuesday, August 18, while discussingLindsay’s alleged behavior in the months before she allegedly strangled her three young children, according to the Associated Press.
Susan said that she and Lindsay, 36, were close, and she added that her former daughter-in-law was a “wonderful mother” who was “very nurturing” and “very loving.”
She said that Lindsay was open with her about her mental health struggles and that she often turned to her for help.
At one point during the testimony, the jury was shown text messages exchanged between Lindsay and Susan. Lindsay told Susan that she developed a dependence on benzodiazepines, adding that she could not fall or stay asleep without taking the drugs.
“I’m not okay and I’m terrified of taking meds tonight,” Lindsay texted Susan on November 30, 2022, per the outlet. The message was sent just two months before the killings.
Lindsay is currently on trial for allegedly killing her kids Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, on January 24, 2023.
Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, has not denied that the mother of three killed her children. Instead, he is arguing that Lindsay should not be held criminally responsible for the children’s deaths because she had postpartum psychosis at the time of the killings.
Reddington has also said that his client has bipolar disorder and that she was prescribed antidepressants to treat her postpartum depression that ultimately made her condition worse.
Prosecutors are arguing that Lindsay intentionally killed her children after she sent Patrick, 36, to run errands, purposefully removing him from the home so she would be alone with the children when she strangled them. After she killed the kids, Lindsay jumped from the second-story of her home in an apparent suicide attempt.
Susan testified in court one day after Lindsay’s mother, Paula Musgrove, took the witness stand on Monday, August 17. While testifying in court, Musgrove claimed that Lindsay’s mental health started to decline in October 2022, while the jury was shown a concerning text message Lindsay sent to Musgrove prior to the killings.
“Mom, will you please come up and stay with me for a bit? I’m really sick. Something is wrong,” Lindsay wrote. “I had horrible insomnia all night, and I just don’t know how I am going to get through the day. … It’s just really scary, and I don’t want to be alone.”
Musgrove also recalled that her daughter appeared nervous during an incident in December 2022, in which she told her and Patrick that she “had thoughts of harming the children.”
Lindsay’s sister, Allison Ozga, also testified on Monday and opened up about a phone call she had with Lindsay in December 2022. Ozga testified that Lindsay admitted to having suicidal thoughts every day for a month at the time of the call.
If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
