Lindsay Clancy, awaiting the next steps in her triple-murder case following a mistrial, is housed at Tewksbury Hospital, a state-run psychiatric facility with a documented history of violence and unsanitary conditions.
Clancy has resided at Tewksbury since 2023, after allegedly strangling her three children in January 2023. The hospital has grappled with numerous incidents involving out-of-control patients and visitors. At one point, its security team was authorized to use batons and handcuffs on patients in an effort to manage the escalating violence. However, this practice was short-lived, and the hospital was banned in April from using such tactical gear in clinical areas, with staff now instructed to contact police during emergencies.
In April alone, the hospital recorded at least three incidents where employees were assaulted. These included a visitor who attacked a pregnant staffer and a patient who lunged at another with a sharp object. Police and the hospital's Public Safety Department responded to over 500 calls for assaults in 2025. Union representatives have expressed concerns about the ongoing safety of the environment for staff.
Employees have reported that the hospital is experiencing an influx of unmedicated, untreated, and potentially dangerous patients, many from the criminal justice system. The 370-bed facility is intended to provide comprehensive treatment and care for adults with medical and/or mental illnesses.
Beyond security concerns, Tewksbury Hospital has also faced issues with unsanitary conditions. Reports detailed the presence of bed bugs and other pests in several buildings on the 172-year-old campus, along with structural problems like failing roofs. For years, manganese contamination rendered the hospital's water undrinkable, necessitating reliance on bottled water deliveries.
Tewksbury Hospital, run by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Clancy's legal proceedings concluded in a mistrial when a jury could not reach a unanimous decision on her criminal responsibility for the deaths of her children, Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months. The children were found strangled in their Duxbury home. Clancy, who claims she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and was overmedicated, subsequently attempted suicide by jumping from a second-story window, resulting in partial paralysis.
She returned to Tewksbury Hospital after her attorney's appeal to prevent a mistrial was denied by the state's Supreme Judicial Court. According to testimony from a healthcare expert, Dr. Avram Mack, Clancy has largely remained isolated during her time at the hospital, spending most of her time in bed and having limited interaction with other patients.