Massachusetts father who lost his three children says he forgives his wife

BOSTON – The father of three young Duxbury children who died, allegedly at their hands of their own mother, has surfaced to say that he is “completely lost without” his children and has forgiven his wife.

“I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have,” Patrick Clancy wrote toward the end of a Saturday statement shared to a GoFundMe drive set up for the expenses incurred by the tragedy.

“The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone – me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients,” he added. “All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.”

Patrick Clancy thanked those who had reached out to him and that “the warmth I’ve received from the community is palpable and your generosity gives me hope that I can focus on some sort of healing.”

But the majority of his letter was dedicated to his family, “the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“Cora, Dawson, and Callan, you gave me so much in your short time here. I don’t know if the pain will ever go away, but I’ll do my best to carry on in your honor,” he concluded. “Dada loves you so much and will always remember you.”

Patrick called 911 at 6:11 p.m. Tuesday to report that his wife, Lindsay, 32, had attempted suicide. Subsequent statements by Plymouth DA Timothy Cruz would reveal that the reality of the situation was much more dire: first responders located all three children in the home at 47 Summer St. “unconscious, with obvious signs of trauma.”

Cora, 5, and Dawson, 3, would be pronounced dead later that night at an area hospital. The 7-month-old infant, Callan, would hold on at Massachusetts General Hospital until Friday, when he died at around 11:18 a.m., according to the DA’s office. Soon their mother, Lindsay, would be charged with their death by strangulation.

“A lot of people have said they can’t imagine and they’re right, there’s absolutely nothing that can prepare you. The shock and pain is excruciating and relentless,” he wrote. “I’m constantly reminded of them and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them on repeat.”

“Any parent knows, it’s impossible to understand how much you will love your kids until you have them,” he continued. “The same goes for understanding the devastation of losing them. Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I’m completely lost without them.”

Of his wife, he wrote that she’s “been portrayed largely by people who have never met her and never knew who the real Lindsay was.” He said their marriage was “wonderful” and grew ever stronger “as her condition rapidly worsened.”

That condition wasn’t specified, but many have speculated that she suffered from postpartum psychosis, a rare condition can include hallucinations, thoughts of harming yourself or a loved one, suicidal thoughts, and intrusive thoughts.

“I took as much pride in being her husband as I did in being a father and felt persistently lucky to have her in my life,” he wrote.

“She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother,” he added. “It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father.”

He described his children.

“Cora was a big girl and would simply walk downstairs. I can still vividly picture her coming into the living room each morning with her hair in a mess, smile on her face,” he wrote. She “had an infectious laugh and was stunningly beautiful.”

“Dawson had beautiful, bold, brown eyes that beamed with friendship.” He was “naturally humorous” and unusually generous. “For all the love he received, he always gave back more.

The infant, “Happy Callan,” his parents called him, was the “easy going child” who “usually woke up first and would rest his head on my shoulder for a few minutes as he adjusted to morning.”

“If I was ever having a bad day, Callan always knew how to heal me. Perhaps that’s why he held on a little longer – to spare me whatever pain he could,” he wrote. “As excruciating as it was, I was fortunate and grateful to feel his warmth until his very last moment.”