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A murder case in Massachusetts serves as a blueprint for how polarization and modern true-crime obsession can spin real tragedy into a misinformation engine.
The Insight provides you the full picture of facts and viewpoints on a top issue for Americans each week, powered by your questions and balanced answers from our multipartisan news team.
The Questions
Did Clancy's doctors provide the standard of care?
Lindsay Clancy’s case consists of two trials. The first is a murder trial where she is the defendant accused of murdering her three children. The second is a civil suit brought by her and her husband against her doctors claiming that they failed to provide Clancy with a proper standard of care in advance of the killings. The malpractice lawsuit claims there was a
"catastrophic failure of multiple medical providers" to treat Clancy's mental illness despite her "repeated, desperate pleas for help.”
Clancy had been prescribed 12 medications over the course of her treatment, including Zoloft (antidepressant), Ativan (benzodiazepine), Buspar (anxiolytic), Hydroxyzine (antihistamine), Trazadone (antidepressant), Prozac (antidepressant), Ambein (non-benzodiazepine receptor modulator), Remeron (antidepressant), Klonopin (benzodiazepine), Seroquel (antipsychotic), Valium (benzodiazepine), Amitriptyline (antidepressant), Benadryl (over the counter antihistamine), and Melatonin (over the counter sleep aid). The lawsuit claimed that several of the medications "exacerbated her condition and precipitated a severe psychotic break."
Her care team consisted of her psychiatrist, Dr. Tufts, and two nurse practitioners, Julie Paul and Rebecca Jollotta. She was also treated in the South Shore hospital emergency department and at McLean Hospital she was treated by Dr. Goodheart. She called the suicide hotline twice. She saw her psychiatrist, Dr. Tufts, via telehealth services. The lack of communication between her care teams and her doctor not seeing her in person have been core pieces of the argument that she was overmedicated.
Some have framed the case as a condemnation of psychiatry as well as American healthcare more broadly, saying that her doctors didn’t communicate about her care because insurance doesn’t cover the time it takes to coordinate patient care so there are no incentives to do so. There are those that argue the doctors were at fault for not seeing that the medication was making her worse, while others said that the doctors did their job, but have limited power in a broken healthcare system.
How common is post-partum psychosis?
Clancy originally pursued treatment due to postpartum depression and anxiety. One now-retracted study says that postpartum depression is diagnosed in 10% of mothers. Another says just 1-2 out of every 1,000 experience it. And yet another says postpartum anxiety affects 25% of mothers.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, postpartum psychosis affects 1-3 women per 1,000 live births. Clancy’s malpractice lawsuit claims that she suffered from bipolar disorder characterized by swings between depression and mania. It's not uncommon for motherhood to trigger first episode mania for those with bipolar disorder due to the immense stress and lack of sleep during the time period and what may have initially appeared as unipolar depression might be revealed as bipolar. Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, including Zoloft and Prozac, are known for worsening bipolar disorder. Bipolar is often treated with mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, or a mood stabilizer paired with an antidepressant.
Why do some support Clancy?
At least 300 women gathered outside the courthouse on Thursday, August 20 in support of Clancy, many of whom wore pink clothing or clothes emblazoned with phrases like “Believe,” “She Needed Help,” and “Peace for Lindsay,” according to PBS (Lean Left). Many other women and mothers have vocalized support online.
Several of the bystanders told PBS that Clancy’s story “resonated with them” and that they were there to raise awareness about how the mental health and healthcare system mistreats women. One woman told PBS, “Women are being dismissed, neglected and ignored when we speak up. We're scared because nobody takes us seriously."
Other women in person and online have also expressed that they had similar experiences to Clancy but avoided tragedy because of their resources and circumstances–including Meghan Cliffel, a mother who said “I could have been Lindsay Clancy” on a podcast episode.
Some women online have also placed varying degrees of blame on Clancy’s ex-husband, who remarried about three years after their children' s deaths and two years after the couple divorced.
The Substack blog “Liberating Motherhood” claimed in a post that “men continue to be a leading cause of postpartum depression,” writing that “most striking thing to me about Lindsay’s story was that her husband left her alone with the children when he knew she was overwhelmed and suffering.” The blog alleges that online videos show Lindsay Clancy struggling with her kids in public while her husband “looks on and does nothing.” Liberating Motherhood also points to Patrick Clancy’s own testimony and the testimony of the defense’s psychologist expert who said that Patrick Clancy was often away on ski trips and other travel, “abandoning” Lindsay Clancy to struggle alone.
Why is there debate about the killings?
Lindsay admitted to killing her three children; her lawyers don’t deny she did it, but argue that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Still, some online speculation has users pointing fingers at Clancy’s husband, Patrick:
The theories suggests that Patrick Clancy killed the children and framed Lindsay, or otherwise staged the scene. Proponents of this theory point to his alibi, surveillance footage from the CVS he was at that night and his demeanor in the 911 call. Other posts go further to suggest Patrick drugged Lindsay and strangled the children himself so he could marry someone else. Wired (Left) added that other theories allege Patrick was a neglectful husband, and that despite Lindsay sharing with him that she had thoughts of harming the children, he left her alone, enabling the murders. None of these theories are supported by any evidence.
CNN (Lean Left) said theories may stem from a lack of trust in authorities and disinformation within online communities. It also noted that because Clancy agreed to a stipulation of facts in the case – meaning prosecutors don’t have to present all of their evidence in court – viewers may be filling in the gaps with alternative hypotheses.
CNN quoted Michael Wagner, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who said that conspiracy theories can arise as a way to “provide answers to questions when an outcome is too uncomfortable for people.”
These theories have racked up thousands of views on social media platforms like TikTok. Wagner said that this type of virality can come when things are highly emotional or often not verifiable, and so, “When people see those things churn up in their feed again and again and again, because the algorithm prizes that kind of content, they also become more likely to engage in conspiratorial thinking.” Former NYPD chief Ken Corey told CNN this cycle of “online sleuthing” is called “investigative bias,” where people are so committed to keeping their own perspective that when contrary evidence is presented, they find ways to explain away that evidence.
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