{"id":6857,"date":"2026-08-06T00:00:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T00:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6857"},"modified":"2026-08-06T00:00:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T00:00:07","slug":"lindsay-clancy-murder-trial-toxicologist-testifies-about-medications-found-in-defendants-blood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=6857","title":{"rendered":"Lindsay Clancy murder trial: toxicologist testifies about medications found in defendant\u2019s blood"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"336ea084-8795-4d4b-a029-80d9e62b6ea6\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A woman in a wheelchair is escorted to a table in a courtroom\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/5f47ecbd6fe9fedabe82c696e656395077b63adb\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Lindsay Clancy awaits the start of proceedings at Plymouth superior court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 30 July 2026.<\/span> Photograph: CJ Gunther\/The Boston Herald via AP<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"336ea084-8795-4d4b-a029-80d9e62b6ea6\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Lindsay Clancy awaits the start of proceedings at Plymouth superior court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 30 July 2026.<\/span> Photograph: CJ Gunther\/The Boston Herald via AP<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Lindsay Clancy murder trial: toxicologist testifies about medications found in defendant\u2019s blood<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Variety of prescriptions were found in blood of mother accused of strangling her three children, court hears<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/news\/2026\/feb\/17\/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The trial of Lindsay Clancy, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/massachusetts\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Massachusetts<\/a> woman accused of killing her three children in January 2023, continued on Wednesday with a forensic toxicologist testifying to the variety and concentration of medications found in the defendant\u2019s blood.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Justin Brower,<em><\/em>a forensic toxicologist with NMS Laboratories, testified that his lab examined the levels of four psychiatric medications detected in Clancy\u2019s blood after she allegedly strangled her children and attempted to take her own life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Those drugs included the antidepressant mirtazapine, the mood stabilizer lamotrigine, the antidepressant trazodone and quetiapine, a drug used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Brower noted that quetiapine could also be prescribed in low doses to treat insomnia.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"247e8c5d-74e5-4975-84e3-263496835d54\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 3\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-uyoh2p\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/25\/lindsay-clancy-murder-trial-postpartum-psychosis\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Postpartum psychosis or murder? Trial of mother who killed her kids spotlights mental health<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Asked if the concentrations of each drug were different from what was prescribed, Brower said the only drug that appeared slightly elevated was quetiapine, but noted that it was not at a \u201ctoxic concentration\u201d or \u201csuicidal concentration\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cUsually people take handfuls of pills when they\u2019re trying to harm themselves and take their own life, and this is not consistent with that,\u201d Brower testified.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">He later testified, upon questioning from Clancy\u2019s defense attorney, that the toxicology results \u201cdon\u2019t tell the entire story\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Prosecutors say Clancy acted intentionally when she killed her children Callan, eight months old; Dawson, three years old; and Cora, five years old. Clancy\u2019s defense team says she was a loving mother who was overcome by postpartum psychosis, had undiagnosed bipolar disorder and was on problematic medications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The court has heard from a range of experts for the prosecution, with testimony at times halted when witnesses, including Clancy\u2019s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, or the defendant have become overwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Wednesday, the family\u2019s nanny, Elaine Rossi, was asked on the stand if she\u2019d ever had concerns about Clancy\u2019s care for her children.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cNot at all. She was a wonderful mom,\u2019 she said. \u201cI observed a wonderful mom who loved her kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">If convicted, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. A not-guilty verdict by reason of a lack of criminal responsibility could lead to her being placed in a state mental health facility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">On Monday, jurors heard excerpts from Clancy\u2019s journals that revealed her mental struggles including thoughts of suicide and her feeling overwhelmed with motherhood, including her struggles to get her newborn to sleep, going back to work as a labor and delivery nurse, not being able to breastfeed, and feeling disconnected from her children and husband.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI\u2019m so desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone that my mind is trying to find something physically wrong with me,\u201d she wrote in an entry on 18 November 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The trial has shone a light on significant gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression. Clancy\u2019s attorneys say her condition seemed to worsen on an ever-shifting lineup of psychiatric prescriptions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In the three months before the killings, clinicians prescribed a range of antidepressants, sleep aids, an antipsychotic and other medications while Clancy reported increasingly profound insomnia, anxiety, despair and confusion about what was real, according to a civil lawsuit filed against caregivers that claims they should have recognized that Clancy and her children were at risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In her diaries, Clancy wrote, \u201cI want help. I want to be well,\u201d and described feeling \u201cincredibly sad and guilty\u201d about not breastfeeding. She also wrote that she was \u201cobsessed\u201d with managing Callan\u2019s sleep and nap schedule.<\/p>\n<figure data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.NewsletterSignupBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\"><a data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" href=\"#EmailSignup-skip-link-17\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1tr4stg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-12qa5gp\">\n<hr class=\"dcr-1cjdlyj\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"EmailSignup-skip-link-17\" aria-label=\"after newsletter promotion\" role=\"note\" class=\"dcr-76akua\">after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cI have crazy brain fog. I feel like I can\u2019t make a plan,\u201d she wrote in another, undated entry. \u201cI live moment to moment waiting for the next nap time. I\u2019m terrified of Cal getting overtired now because I feel can\u2019t help him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cHearing him cry for 1 plus hours and not intervening just about killed me,\u201d Clancy wrote, adding that she had told her husband, Patrick, \u201cI want to die.\u201d She also wrote: \u201cI now have horrible insomnia and anxiety which is causing depression. I have no appetite. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with me. I want help. I want to be well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Clancy first sought help from a postpartum depression program in late December 2022. She went on to check herself into a psychiatric hospital and later told a psychiatrist that she heard a \u201cman\u2019s voice\u201d in her head telling her to \u201ckill the children so you can kill yourself\u201d. Nineteen days later, after being discharged, she carried out the killings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The defendant is now paralyzed from her attempt to take her own life. When she woke up in hospital and was asked by a forensic psychologist how she felt, she responded: \u201cHorrified.\u201d Dr Jhilam Biswas of Brigham and Women\u2019s hospital testified that Clancy asked \u201ccan she have visitors, and where her family is\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The court has also heard from Patrick Clancy, who recounted the medications his former wife was taking, her health and demeanor, and the destructive thoughts she was having. He has said he forgives Lindsay and believes that the killings were motivated purely by her mental health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">When the jury heard the anguished 911 call Patrick Clancy made on the night of the killings, several members could be seen holding back tears. He described returning home after collecting medications and a takeout meal to find their home \u201cquiet\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Patrick Clancy went upstairs to find found the door to their bedroom locked. After breaking in, the room was covered in blood and the window was open. His wife was lying on the ground below. She told him she had tried to take her own life. He asked where the children were, and she told him they were in the basement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">When emergency services arrived, he ventured downstairs to find their three children with exercise resistance bands around their necks. Duxbury police officer Brian Josephine testified that he heard Patrick scream: \u201cShe killed the fucking kids.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/massachusetts\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Massachusetts<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/society\/mental-health\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Mental health<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-crime\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Lindsay%20Clancy%20murder%20trial:%20toxicologist%20testifies%20about%20medications%20found%20in%20defendant%E2%80%99s%20blood&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/lindsay-clancy-trial-toxicologist-testimony?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Faug%2F05%2Flindsay-clancy-trial-toxicologist-testimony&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/aug\/05\/lindsay-clancy-trial-toxicologist-testimony\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1kq7f60\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lindsay Clancy awaits the start of proceedings at Plymouth superior court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 30 July 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6859,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-us-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6860,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6857\/revisions\/6860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}