The Clancys’ nanny testified on day 7 of the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, saying that the Massachusetts mother responsible for the deaths of her three young children was “a wonderful mom who loved her kids.”
Content Warning: This article discusses an exceptionally disturbing case involving multiple children’s murders and attempted suicide. The details may be upsetting or triggering for some readers. Reader discretion is advised, and those who may be sensitive to these topics are encouraged to proceed with caution or discontinue reading.
Murder Charges
Lindsay Clancy is charged with the deaths of her three children–Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan. She is facing three counts of first-degree murder, and if convicted, she will spend the rest of her life in prison, but if she is found not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, she will be sent to a mental health institute.
Clancy admitted to murdering her children in the basement of her Duxbury home with exercise bands on January 24, 2023, just before trying to kill herself and a failed attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
Nanny Testimony
The prosecution called its 45th witness on Wednesday, which happened to be the Clancy family’s former nanny, Elaine Rossi, from Kingston. She had been a nanny for 15 years and ended up with the Clancys after responding to a Facebook post in July 2022. She worked for them for four months until December 2022.
Her primary role was to take care of the newborn, Callan, once Clancy returned to her job in November. Rossi worked from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. three days a week; she prepared the food, did light housekeeping and laundry, and cared for their child. She communicated with the family primarily through text message and handwritten notes.
Rossi said that she became aware of Lindsay Clancy’s struggle with mental health. “She shared with me that she was suffering from postpartum,” Rossi said. She also saw prescription bottles around the house, but she had no concerns when Clancy interacted with the children.
“None at all; she was a wonderful mom,” Rossi said before describing the children. “[Callan] was the happiest, sweetest, easiest baby,” she added. “He was just a love.”
Cross-Examination
Clancy was visibly upset in the courtroom during Rossi’s testimony, and her crying and shaking continued into the cross-examination by defense attorney Kevin Reddington. He started by asking her what exactly she told the Massachusetts State Police about her experience with the mother.
“I observed a wonderful mom who loved her kids,” Rossi said. “She was very concerned about their safety. She was very concerned with Callan’s eating and sleeping. She was a wonderful mother.“
Reddington then asked if Rossi recalls telling police, “I love my Lindsay.”
“Do I love Lindsay?” Rossi responded. “I did love Lindsay, yes.“
Suicide Attempt
Prosecutors argue that Clancy made a weak attempt to take her own life, and that she never intended to die, but that she did calculate the brutal murders of her children. They questioned forensic toxicologist Dr. Justin Brower, who testified that the drugs in Clancy’s system on that day were not on a “suicidal level.”
“Usually people take handfuls of pills when they’re trying to harm themselves and take their own life,” Dr. Brower said. “This was not consistent with that.”
On cross, Reddington asked Dr. Brower to confirm whether he agreed that “the numbers alone do not tell the tale of what happened to a particular individual,” to which the toxicologist responded in the affirmative.
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