Phone data: Mother on trial for killing her kids searched about psychosis, hallucinations, suicide weeks before stranglings

In the weeks leading up to the January 2023 murders of her three young children, Lindsay Clancy was found to have conducted extensive online research on topics such as hallucinations, psychosis, and the side effects of various drugs she was prescribed. This search activity was uncovered through an analysis of her phone data and presented during the murder trial in Massachusetts.

In addition to her online research, Clancy also wrote a detailed note in October 2022 expressing doubts about her parenting abilities, second-guessing her decision to stop breastfeeding her 8-month-old child, and reconsidering plans for a fourth child. The defense team claims that Clancy suffered from bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis, a rare condition that can alter a woman's sense of reality following childbirth.

Forensic psychiatrist diagnosed Clancy with these conditions following the killings. Clancy's note, written during this tumultuous period, reflected her concerns about not being able to provide the same level of attention to her youngest child as she had given to her first two children. The defense argues that Clancy's mental illness played a significant role in her actions, and that she believed she was being instructed by voices to commit the murders.