Patrick Clancy: The 60 Minutes Interview

Over the last few months, a murder trial. in Massachusetts has become a national. obsession and a cultural roarshack test. The story of Lindseay Clancy, a labor. and delivery nurse who killed her three. children and then attempted suicide has. created a vortex of online theorizing. and suspicion and generated furious. arguments about the relationship between. mental illness and criminal fault. the. ways in which the medical system fails. mothers and how men and women understand.

one another. At its heart though, it's a. story about a family and the worst. tragedy imaginable. Tonight, you'll hear. from the father, Patrick Clancy, for the. first time since the trial, talking. about how he tried to rebuild a life in. the shadow of unbearable grief, and why. he wants to put the focus back on the. memory of his children, Kora, Dawson, and Cowan. In the fall of 2022, when Ken. was 5 months old, Patrick noticed that.

Lindsay was struggling. >> It was October and um she went a few. nights without sleeping. >> What did she tell you that she was. experiencing then? >> She came downstairs one morning and she. said, "I didn't sleep at all last. night." And so I said, "You know, that's. awful." And uh I'll I'll take the kids. to school. you just focus on. uh getting caught up on sleep. >> Did you know anything about postpartum. mental illness before this experience.

started? >> No. I could piece together what it was. like to be really really anxious or. depressed. Um but I didn't know how to manage a. postpartum illness. I think mental. illness has this ability to be. tragically deceptive. So, I'm I'm sure. there are things that I didn't see. >> Patrick and Lindsay Clancy were living. in the seaside town of Dubberry, Massachusetts. They were married 6. years. Months after the birth of their.

third child, Lindsay made repeated. emergency room visits. She admitted. herself to a program for patients with. postpartum depression and was discharged. after a day of treatment. She was also. prescribed an escalating number of. prescription drugs. Patrick said he. struggled to help his wife navigate the. medical system. >> What was the low point a few months in? >> Uh I think December December was a a it. was a big struggle for her. Uh just a.

huge lack of sleep, deep depression, intrusive thoughts. And um at the end of. that month, she went to the hospital. >> It was New Year's Eve when Lindsay. checked herself into MLAN's Psychiatric. Hospital. She was treated for depression. and days later she was released. The. family celebrated Kora's birthday on. January 7th. >> She told you she wanted to come home. She did. >> 17 days later, the unthinkable. After.

taking Kora to a doctor's appointment. earlier in the day, Lindsay asked. Patrick to run an errand and pick up. dinner. And when he returned home, he. said he found her lying in the backyard, her throat and wrists cut, paralyzed. after jumping from an upstairs window. In the basement, he said he found his. children strangled. Kora and Dawson were. dead. Ken somehow survived and was. airlifted to Boston Children's Hospital. >> So, I didn't have all the details of. Ken's condition. I just knew that they.

got a heartbeat back. So, I remember um that night I I I really. thought there was a chance that Ken. would live. And I I remember just. thinking just give me one, just give me. one kid and I would raise him as best I. could and I would give him the best life. I possibly could. And I tell him about. his brother and sister and I was holding. out hope for that. And then when I got. to the hospital, I saw the doctor. and I.

saw the look on her face and and I knew. that it it wasn't going to be a a good. prognosis. >> Callen's heart kept beating for 4 days. I'm so grateful for those four days that. I had with him. and I'm so grateful he hung on. >> Did you talk to him in those four days? >> Yeah. >> Can you tell me anything you said? I said, "I'm so sorry.".

And I got to I got to hold him. I got to lay down next to him. And he died in my arms. During those hours with Ken, Clancy sat. and wrote tributes to each of his three. children, typing with one hand while he. held his baby's hand with the other. He. said he was afraid if he didn't write. about them, they would be forgotten.

>> But it wasn't just about your kids. It. also had something that I think a lot of. people found at that moment. incomprehensible, which was something. about Lindsay. >> Yeah. >> Where you forgave her. >> I saw headlines that said, you know, killer mom and baby murderer monster. And none of them were accurate. I. believe that it was her mental illness. that caused that. So I shared those words and I think when. it comes to forgiveness, I also felt. that if I didn't get there,

I would be eaten up inside forever. >> Did you ask Lindsay why she did it? >> Um, I asked her if she remembered it. >> And what did she say? >> She said it was like a dream. and. uh she remembered it much in the way you. would remember a dream after waking up. >> Do you feel like you failed in some way. in this period or do you feel like you.

did the best you could? >> I think I did the best I could with what. I had at the time. And I live with the outcome. I live with. it every day. >> Has she ever asked for your forgiveness? Um, no. But I gave it to her. >> In the weeks after the tragedy, the. crowds of mourners dispersed and. Clancy's world emptied out. There was no. family routine, no bedtime stories, no. purpose. >> Everything just came to a screeching.

halt. And then there was a day where I. uh really without thinking, I drove by. their school and it was at the exact. time that all of their friends were. getting dropped off. and I was just I couldn't be there. anymore. >> Did you ever have suicidal thoughts. yourself? >> Yeah. There was a time where I I didn't think. I would live to see my 35th birthday and. I was completely fine with it. >> In April, unable to stay in Dubberry,

Clancy said he moved to New York City, seeking anonymity. Five weeks after I. moved to New York on May 26th, I had to figure out how I'm going to. celebrate Kellen's first birthday. And. how do you celebrate your son's first. birthday months after he's passed away? And so I go to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I light a candle and I say, "I love you, buddy." And I walk out on Fifth Avenue.

and I start crying my eyes out. And nobody cared. >> And was that good? Were you grateful for. that? >> I thought this is where I need to be. I. can grieve. >> Before moving, he had emptied the house. in Dubberry, a home filled with the most. visceral reminders of his children's. lives. >> What kind of things did you keep? Some. of their toys, a lot of personal items, just things.

that reminded me of them. This is Dawson. >> Reminders now purposefully placed around. his Manhattan apartment. A baby sloth. that Kora carried everywhere. A photo of. Ken wearing a bow tie almost bigger than. him. Dawson's beloved and battered. helicopter. >> Those are their real handprints. >> In their hometown of Dubberry, Clancy. found another way to keep them close. This brand new playground built to. feature touchston for each child, sloths.

for his daughter, a firefighter for. Dawson, and down the way, a toddler's. play pen for Callen. >> Do you dream about them? >> Yeah, all the time. >> Tell me a good dream. >> I remember. early on having a dream. maybe 6 months or a year after. And I'm in the kitchen at the house and. Ka walks in and I just look at her and I. it was like I basically just said,

"Where have you been?" And she comes up. to me and gives me a big hug. Those dreams are so real. It's. It's like I'm lucid in those dreams. In. July of this year, Lindsay Clancy went. to trial for the killing of her three. children. Her lawyers argued that she. was suffering from dangerous postpartum. psychosis and couldn't be held. responsible for her actions. >> I'm going to declare a mistrial. >> Her trial ended with a hung jury.

>> Meanwhile, Patrick was suddenly facing a. trial by Tik Tok. >> This is why I think Patrick did it. >> I have so many questions. >> Not Lindsay. Patrick did it. >> You googled how to commit suicide. An. online swarm of sleuths and influencers. has been dissecting every detail of the. case, developing theories that portray. him as uncaring, unfaithful, and even. the murderer of his children. >> How do you respond to people who have.

that idea about you? >> It's deeply harmful to the legacy of my. children. It is a huge distraction from. what really matters here, which is. perinatal mental health. and it's done. real harm to real people, myself included, but also others. >> How does it affect you directly? The. stuff that's out there online, it's. painful to see and it makes it difficult. to be in public. And it's possible that.

some of those people. after seeing lie after lie after lie, they start to believe it. And that's. what we're left with. One of the. catalysts for these theories was. Patrick's apparent stoicism on the. witness stand. >> Testifying is very difficult. On the. second day, a lot of that was focused on. the night of January 24th. We did take a. break right before they played the 911. call, which I knew was going to be just. horrific. And I went to a back room and.

I started having this massive traumatic. panic attack. My heart was pounding. and. they put me in an ambulance. They. offered me some medication, but I said, "I I don't want it cuz I want to go back. and I want to finish this so I can be. done with this." I went back and I. finished the testimony. >> Clancy says reaching out to survivors. and experts in the field of postpartum. health has helped him. >> I started reaching out to people at.

Postpartum Support International. I reached out to psychiatrists, experts in the field, and I asked them, "What do you think happened?" And we we. had some pretty deep conversations. >> Those conversations helped Patrick come. to terms with what happened. And so too. has Dr. Rachel Danis, a fertility doctor. who says they met in January of 2024 in. a run club in New York. They got to know.

each other over coffee. >> Pat pulls out his phone to pay and I. noticed this adorable photo of children. as the wallpaper and I just asked who. are those cuties and Pat had said those. are my kids. And then I think I asked if. they live in Massachusetts and Pat said. they died and this is just at the. cashier. >> So what did you do then? I guess I had. so many questions and yet at the same. time I didn't know exactly what to ask.

>> As they logged miles together, their. relationship deepened. They got married. in New York City this April. >> We talked a lot about what Pat carries, the grief that he carries along with the. good memories. Do you think you help him carry that. grief? >> I hope. >> Do you think she helps you carry that. grief? >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean 100%. It's. my.

life has changed since I met Rachel in. such a positive way. >> I always um. try to take some of the weight. from Pat. I always want to strive to do. that. I know I can't fix. I can't bring his kids back. But if I. can honor them. and allow Pat to. grieve but also just continue to honor.

them in the present. It um I guess. that's all I can do. >> And you guys are starting a family. >> Yeah. What are you going to tell your child. about. their brothers and sister? >> I think every parent can agree. You have different relationships with. your kids, but they're all your kids, and.

I can't wait to tell them about their. brothers and sister. Patrick and Lindsay have each brought. lawsuits against health care providers. who treated her, alleging medical. malpractice. Lindsay Clancy is being. held in Tukesberry Hospital in. Massachusetts, waiting to learn whether. she will be retrieded for the murder of. her children.