Crime

Mother Accused of Killing 2 of Her 3 Children in Suspected Murder-Suicide Attempt

Lindsay Clancy, a labor and delivery nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was arrested Wednesday and charged with two counts of homicide, three counts of strangulation and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon

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Published on January 26, 2023 09:29 AM

A Massachusetts mother allegedly strangled two of her young children to death and injured a third on Tuesday night in what authorities say was a murder-suicide attempt.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, is in police custody and faces two counts of homicide, three counts of strangulation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon in connection with the deaths of her 5-year-old daughter Cora and 3-year-old son Dawson, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said at a news conference, reported The Boston Globe.

Clancy, a Massachusetts General nurse, remains hospitalized in Boston after jumping from the second-story window of her home in Duxbury, about 35 miles south of the city, authorities added, per MassLive.

The outlet added that her husband called 911 after he found her injured at the family home on Tuesday night.

Investigators will charge mother with murdering her 2 children — Lindsay Clancy's home in Duxbury, Massachusetts. CBS Boston/Youtube

The three children were found "unconscious, with obvious signs of trauma," Cruz said Wednesday, reported CBS News.

Cora and Dawson tragically died later at the hospital, while their 7-month-old brother was flown to Boston for treatment," added The Boston Globe. "He is currently hospitalized at Boston Children's Hospital, added the newspaper.

A spokesperson for the Plymouth County District Attorney's office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional information.

"They were just beautiful, beautiful children," the children's aunt, Donna Jesse, told NBC Boston.

"Well cared for — they were just beautiful, that's it," she added. "They had a beautiful life."

Rita Musgrove, the great-grandmother of the children, told the station that she had spoken with Lindsay Clancy last week and "nothing seemed amiss."

"It's a pretty shocking thing, and it is heartbreaking," she added.

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At the hospital where Clancy works as a labor and delivery nurse, officials issued a statement regarding the tragedy.

"We are shocked and saddened to learn of this unthinkable tragedy," the hospital said in a statement. "We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by these devastating events."

CBS Boston reported that authorities are investigating the possibility that Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time of the tragic events.

She was also on general leave from her job at Massachusetts General Hospital, per the outlet, and will be arraigned by police when she has sufficiently recovered from her injuries.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.