Patrick Clancy's heartbreak after his child died in his arms 'I didn't think I'd see my 35th birthday'
Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide and child death which some readers may find distressing.
Patrick Clancy has spoken out for the first time since his ex-wife Lindsay’s trial ended in a mistrial.
Patrick, 36, appeared on 60 Minutes alongside his wife Dr Rachel Danis where he spoke about his grief after losing his three children and the toll the trial took on him.
Lindsay went on trial this summer over the January 2023 deaths of Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan at the family’s home in Massachusetts.
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Her defence didn’t dispute that she killed the children but argued that she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
After a five-week trial and almost 40 hours of deliberations, the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict and Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial.
Now, Patrick has spoken for the first time as he detailed the pain he felt after losing his children and revealed that he was left requiring medical attention during the second day of testimony.
Speaking to CBS’ 60 Minutes, Patrick detailed how he returned home from running errands to find Lindsay in the backyard after jumping from a second-floor window.
He said he then found his children in the basement and that tragically, Cora and Dawson were already dead.
Callan was airlifted to hospital and Patrick prayed he would pull through.
He recalled: "I really thought there was a chance that Callan would live.
"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. I'd tell him about his brother and sister.' And I was holding out hope for that."
Patrick said his son’s heart continued beating for four days.
"I got to hold him. I got to lay down next to him. And he died in my arms," Patrick said.
In the wake of losing his children, Patrick said he began having suicidal thoughts.
"There was a time where I didn't think I would live to see my 35th birthday," he said.
"And I was completely fine with it."
He also spoke about the ordeal of having to testify in court, revealing that he had to seek medical attention on the second day of testimony.
He told the outlet that he had a ‘massive traumatic’ panic attack after they played his 911 call in court.
"My heart was pounding and they put me in an ambulance," Patrick said.
"They offered me some medication, but I said, 'I don't want it, because I want to go back and I want to finish this so I can be done with this.' And I went back and I finished the testimony."
During the trial, bizarre conspiracy theories about Patrick began to spread online, prompting him to eventually issue a warning through his lawyer.
His lawyer Howard Cooper said: “Over the past months, Patrick Clancy and his family have been subjected to a relentless, escalating and destructive defamation campaign.
“This campaign of misinformation has been launched and promoted by minor celebrities, so-called influencers and outright conspiracy theorists who appear intent on boosting their own social media profiles and potential profit by publishing what they know to be outright falsehoods that Patrick was somehow involved in the death of his young children and other vile claims.
“This campaign, now fuelled by insatiable media coverage, remains at a fever pitch and has resulted in real life threats to his reputation, livelihood, and life.”
Cooper explained that his client ‘has no choice but to address this situation - with the clear goal of stopping injurious behavior, creating accountability for lies that are self-serving to the perpetrators, and being able to return his attention to what matters: preserving the memory of Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy and supporting other women facing perinatal mental health challenges’.
“Enough is enough -- this spread of blatant and baseless falsehoods must stop,” he added.
“Those responsible should understand that there will be consequences, and every appropriate measure will be pursued to hold them accountable, including legally. Law enforcement has been notified.”
Patrick addressed those theories on 60 Minutes, saying: "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.”
Topics: US News, Lindsay Clancy, Crime, True Crime
Claire Reid