'The drugs stole my life': the digital diary of the mother who murdered her children

Personal notes found on the phone of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother on trial for the murder of her three children, were revealed in court. In the notes, Clancy described her struggle with postpartum anxiety and depression, writing that the drugs 'stole' her life. The defense claims she suffered from postpartum psychosis, while the prosecution alleges premeditated murder.

Personal notes found on the phone of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother on trial for the murder of her three children, were revealed this week in court, offering a further glimpse into her mental state in the months before their deaths, as reported by CNN. In one note, created in late December 2022 and last updated the day before the children's deaths, Clancy wrote: "The drugs stole my motherhood and my life." She described herself as "the healthiest and happiest mom" before, she claims, prescription drugs "stole" her from her body. She wrote that it all began with "a little postpartum anxiety." In another note, updated in November 2022, Clancy described feelings of sadness and depression around her difficulty caring for her youngest son, Callan, and at times felt resentment toward her older children. Alongside this, there was a list of affirmations she wrote for herself. The investigation also revealed internet searches on topics such as schizophrenia, psychosis, and bipolar disorder, as well as a search four days before the children's deaths: "Can a sociopath be treated?" Clancy does not deny that she strangled her children to death—Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months—in the family home in Duxbury in January 2023. The defense argues postpartum psychosis, while the prosecution argues premeditated and planned murder.