Patrick Clancy recounts tragedy of his three children: “Let at least one live,” forgiving Lindsay and beginning a new life

More than three years after losing his three children, Patrick Clancy has spoken on CBS’s “60 Minutes” about the tragic night, the pain that followed and his decision to forgive his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy. She is accused of killing their three children in Massachusetts in January 2023.

During the interview, Clancy recalled his final hours with the children, the attempt to save baby Callan and his journey to rebuild his life after the loss.

The tragedy occurred on January 24, 2023, at the family’s home in Duxbury. Patrick had briefly left to run an errand, and when he returned, he found the three children in the basement. Lindsay was found injured in the yard after a suicide attempt.

Cora and Dawson had died, while Callan, just eight months old, was still alive. The baby was airlifted to a hospital and lived for another four days, with his father by his side until his final moments.

“I truly believed there was a chance Callan would live,” Clancy said. In those moments of despair, one thought kept repeating in his mind: “Just leave me one, just one child.”

As he held Callan in one arm, Patrick tried to write Cora’s and Dawson’s obituaries with his other hand. In the end, Callan died in his father’s arms.

Clancy was the first witness called at his ex-wife’s trial. Over two days, he spoke about Lindsay’s deteriorating condition following the birth of their third child.

He described a woman who had been a devoted mother and loved her children, but who had struggled with severe stress, anxiety and serious mental health difficulties in the months before the tragedy.

According to Patrick’s testimony, from September 2022 to January 2023, Lindsay received various treatments and medications prescribed by different doctors.

On one occasion, she had told her husband that she was having thoughts that something bad might happen to one of the children. However, Patrick testified that he did not believe they were in immediate danger because he had not noticed any intention on her part to harm them.

Asked whether he felt guilty that he had been unable to prevent the tragedy, he said he had done “the best he could with what he knew at the time.”

One of the interview’s most emotional moments came when he spoke about Lindsay and his decision to forgive her.

Patrick said his ex-wife had not apologized to him or asked him to forgive her. For him, however, forgiveness became a necessary step toward moving forward.

After his children died, Clancy went through a period when he did not want to live and could no longer see any purpose in life. Over time, support from mental health professionals helped him cope with the loss.

He said he had feared that, without forgiving Lindsay, anger and pain would consume him forever. Even today, more than three years after the tragedy, Patrick speaks to his three children every day.

When the journalist asked what he says to them, he replied simply: “Help me.”

Clancy explained that he wants to believe the children still help him in one way or another. For him, it is also a way of maintaining his connection with them.

During the trial, the court also heard the harrowing emergency call Patrick made on the night of the tragedy. He said that shortly before the recording was played in the courtroom, he suffered a severe panic attack.

The trial of Lindsay Clancy ended on September 4, 2026, when the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision and the judge declared a mistrial.

The defense argued that Lindsay could not be held criminally responsible for her actions because of a severe postpartum psychotic condition. Prosecutors disputed that position, arguing that she knew what she was doing and that the killings were premeditated.

Jurors who spoke publicly after the trial said the vote had been 11 to 1 in favor of finding her not guilty because of her mental state. However, the lack of unanimity meant the case ended without a verdict.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz has not yet announced whether he will seek a new trial. Meanwhile, Lindsay’s attorneys have asked for the case to be dismissed, also citing arguments related to the principle of double jeopardy. The next hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2026.

After the tragedy, Patrick left Massachusetts and moved to New York, hoping he could live away from public attention.

In New York, he met Dr. Rachel Dennis, a reproductive medicine specialist. The two met while running in Central Park and married in April 2026.

Dennis also took part in the “60 Minutes” interview, describing Patrick as a devoted father and supportive partner.

Today, the couple are trying to build a new future and start a family of their own. However, Cora, Dawson and Callan remain an inseparable part of Patrick’s life.

He said that if he has more children, he wants to tell them one day about their three brothers and sister who lost their lives in the 2023 tragedy.