Father of three suffocated by mother pays emotional tribute to them as he crosses Boston Marathon finish line: ‘They had short lives – but they had good lives’
The father of three children who were allegedly suffocated by their mother has paid an emotional tribute to them after crossing the Boston Marathon finish line.
“They had short lives — but they had good lives,” Patrick Clancy said after completing the famous 26.2-mile course through the Massachusetts capital while raising more than $75,000 for the hospital that treated them.
‘I love my children, they are wonderful people. They had a lot of friends, everyone loved them, added Clancy, 33, as he completed the iconic race in 3:59:19 on Tuesday.
The marathon was a form of therapy for the devastated father. His partner, depressed midwife Lindsay Clancy, allegedly killed their three children in January 2023.
She is accused of suffocating Cora, five, Dawson, three, and baby Callan with exercise bands in the basement of their Duxbury, MA home after Patrick left the house momentarily to pick up takeout.
Patrick Clancy (pictured), father of three children who were allegedly strangled by their mother, has paid an emotional tribute to them after crossing the Boston Marathon finish line
Patrick decided to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital, where the couple’s youngest, Callan, spent his final months before dying when he was seven months old.
Lindsay was charged with the children’s murder after they were discovered in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts home on January 24, 2023. (Pictured: the mother in court)
Lindsay tried to kill herself afterwards, slitting her wrists and jumping out of an upstairs bedroom window. She survived, but was paralyzed from the waist down and is still undergoing treatment.
Patrick forgave his wife for the alleged atrocities last year, citing her battle with postpartum psychosis.
“In the short time here, my children have brought me so much joy and could not have made their father prouder,” Patrick said on his donation page which has raised more than $75,000.
‘In many ways I’m just trying to be more like them. Their passion for life was infectious.’
“With Cora, Dawson and Callan in spirit, see you at the finish line,” he said in an update just before the marathon started on Monday.
Patrick said the money raised through his fundraiser is set to go toward “the very best medical care, cutting-edge research and vital support services for sick children and their families.”
In October, Lindsay was held without bail and committed to psychiatric treatment because she is ‘at imminent risk of self-harm,’ a judge ruled.
Judge William F. Sullivan ordered Lindsay to be held in psychiatric care at Tewksbury Hospital for six months during a court hearing conducted via Zoom.
Dr. Karin Towers, a forensic psychiatrist reported during the trial that Clancy experiences ‘unbearable depression and trouble getting through each day’.
She pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and strangulation.
The marathon was a form of therapy for the heartbroken father (pictured hugging a friend at the finish line on Tuesday). His partner, depressed midwife Lindsay Clancy, allegedly murdered their three children in January 2023
“They had short lives — but they had good lives,” Patrick Clancy said after completing the famous 26.2-mile course through the Massachusetts capital while raising more than $75,000 for the hospital that treated them
Patrick Clancy completed the race in 3:59:19 and crossed the finish line around 3:15 p.m. He is shown in an old photograph running with his children
Lindsay was arraigned on February 7 from her Brigham and Women’s Hospital bed. Her next court date is scheduled for May 28
Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague gave further details of the events of January 24, when a fitness watch traced Lindsay’s path from the basement – where she allegedly suffocated her children – to the second floor.
Inquest affidavits showed the mother cut her wrists and neck before jumping from the second-floor window.
Sprague said the cuts were ‘superficial’ and did not require stitches, casting doubt on the seriousness of Lindsay’s suicide attempt. She added that the wounds were not bleeding when her husband found her.
Sprague mentioned that Clancy seemed to know who she is and emphasized that there were ‘no hallucinations or delusions’ in Clancy’s notes documenting her life and the lives of her children.
A court document obtained by DailyMail.com revealed that she allegedly researched methods of killing before taking her children’s lives and attempting to take her own.
The mother, an obstetrician, was earlier seen addressing the court from her hospital bed wearing a face mask.
Investigators recovered bottles of diazepam, amitriptyline and trazodone, all antidepressants, from the family’s home on January 25. All three had been prescribed to Lindsay 16 days before the traumatic incident.
An unsealed affidavit revealed Patrick was in the basement when police arrived to check on Lindsay and knew ‘something was wrong because his kids wouldn’t wake up.’
Participants raising money for Boston Children’s Hospital during the Boston Marathon are seen in a group photo. Patrick has raised more than $72,000 on his donation page
Patrick forgave his wife for the alleged atrocities last year, citing her battle with postpartum psychosis
Postpartum psychosis is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a serious form of mental illness. (Pictured: Lindsay Clancy with her child)
He approached the police and started screaming: ‘She killed the children!’ when he made the discoveries, he found two of his children with ribbons around their necks, turning their faces ‘blue and purple’.
Postpartum psychosis is defined by the National Institutes of Health as a serious form of mental illness.
It is characterized by extreme confusion, loss of contact with reality, paranoia, delusions, disorganized thought process and hallucinations.’
The disease usually occurs within the first six weeks after birth and ‘warrants immediate medical and psychiatric attention and hospitalization if there is a risk of suicide or filicide’.
Lindsay was arraigned on February 7 from her Brigham and Women’s Hospital bed. Her next court date is scheduled for May 28.