The Patrick Clancy Conspiracy Theories Are Rooted in the Harsh Realities of Motherhood

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For many watching Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, the primary takeaway has been how the deaths of her three small children—Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callen, eight months—were tragically preventable.

Lawyers for the Massachusetts nurse are arguing that she’s not criminally responsible for strangling her children, because she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis, a rare mental health condition that causes new mothers to experience delusions and intrusive thoughts. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington has put Lindsay’s health care providers on the stand, in an attempt to demonstrate how his client repeatedly sought help for her terrifying thoughts, only for her to be minimized, dismissed, and overmedicated at every turn.

For others, including a thriving community of TikTok armchair detectives and conspiracy theorists, the Clancy trial has resulted in a much different takeaway: Lindsay’s husband, Patrick Clancy, was responsible, either literally or by virtue of being a neglectful husband. Many...

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