A vigil for two children who were allegedly strangled to death by their mother heard she had been “overwhelmed” by mental illness.
Midwife Lindsay Clancy is accused of killing the children, aged five and three, before jumping out of a window at the family home in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
The 32-year-old mother survived the jump, but her daughter Cora and son Dawson were already dead when emergency services arrived at the scene. A seven-month-old boy was flown to a hospital in Boston after being found unconscious with traumatic injuries.
Speaking at the vigil held for the siblings at Holy Family Church on Thursday, the Very Rev. Fr. Robert Deehan said: “Before this tragic event, they were a happy and loving family.
“Sadly, the struggle Lindsay had in trying to deal with mental illness became overwhelming which led to such devastating results.”
Also attending the service, Reverend Bill Williams called for comfort Patrick Clancy, the children’s father. He also held prayers for emergency responders and medical professionals who attended the tragic incident.
WBZ-TV I-Team report that, according to sources, investigators are looking at the possibility Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
The mother had referred to postpartum anxiety in a Facebook post last July, according to the Boston Globe.
Plymouth County district attorney Tim Cruz identified Clancy as the suspect in the case on Wednesday.
“This is an unimaginable, senseless tragedy, and it is an ongoing investigation,” Mr Cruz said.
The mother-of-three works at Massachusetts General Hospital, with staff offering their sympathy in a statement after the children’s deaths.
“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.”
