Patrick Clancy Recounts Agonizing Days After Ex-Wife's Attack on Children

Patrick Clancy has detailed the agonizing final days he spent with his eight-month-old son, Callan, after his ex-wife, Lindsay Clancy, attacked their three children. The grieving father spoke publicly for the first time on Sunday night's "60 Minutes" broadcast, weeks after his ex-wife's murder trial concluded in a mistrial.

During the interview, Patrick Clancy recounted discovering his children in the basement of their Duxbury, Massachusetts, home on January 24, 2023. He found his two older children, five-year-old Cora and three-year-old Dawson, had died. His youngest, Callan, was still alive.

He rushed Callan to the hospital, where he clung to hope for his infant son's survival for four days. "I really thought there was a chance that Callan would live," Clancy said, his voice thick with emotion. "And remember just thinking, 'Just gimme one. Just gimme one kid,' and I would raise him as best I could, and I would give him the best life I possibly could. I'd tell him about his brother and sister."

However, at the hospital, a doctor's expression confirmed his fears. "When I got to the hospital, I saw the doctor. I saw the look on her face, and I knew that it wasn't going to be a good prognosis," he recalled, adding that Callan died in his arms. "I'm so grateful for those four days that I had with him. And I'm so grateful he hung on."

Clancy described the profound emptiness that followed his children's deaths. "There was no family routine, no bedtime stories, no purpose. Everything just came to a screeching halt," he said. He also revealed experiencing suicidal thoughts, stating he was content with not living to see his 35th birthday.

Lindsay Clancy was charged with three counts of first-degree murder for strangling the children with exercise bands in the basement. She had sent Patrick out to pick up medicine and a takeout order on the night of the killings. She then attempted suicide by slitting her wrists and jumping from a second-story window, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down.

Lindsay Clancy has not denied killing her children but pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, citing severe postpartum depression and psychosis. Her six-week trial captivated the nation, initiating broader discussions about postpartum mental illness and criminal responsibility. The jury, after a week of deliberations, failed to reach a unanimous verdict, with one male juror reportedly refusing to join the other 11 in finding her not guilty by reason of insanity.

Speaking on "60 Minutes," Patrick Clancy recalled witnessing his ex-wife's mental health decline in the period leading up to the attacks. When asked if he blamed himself, he stated, "I think I did the best I could with what I had at the time, and I live with the outcome. I live with it every day, but I think I did the best I could."

He described his testimony at the trial as "very difficult," recounting a severe anxiety attack just before the court played the 911 call he made on the night of the incident. "We did take a break right before they played the 911 call, which I knew was gonna be just horrific," he said. "And I went to a back room, and I started having this massive traumatic panic attack. My heart was pounding. And they put me in an ambulance... but I said, 'I-- I don't want it, because I want to go back and I want to finish this so I can be done with this.' And I went back and I finished the testimony."

Patrick Clancy has since remarried. He and his new wife, Dr. Rachel Danis, whom he married in April, appeared with him at the end of the interview. They are "starting a family," though they did not confirm if they are currently expecting. "I think every parent can agree, you have different relationships with your kids, but they're all your kids. And I can't wait to tell them about their brothers and sister," Patrick said.