‘I ask them for help, all the time’: Patrick Clancy reveals heartbreaking way he connects with his three children after their deaths
The grieving father opened up about the heartbreaking way he continues to find comfort in Cora, Dawson and Callan, more than three years after they were killed by their mom Lindsay Clancy
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Patrick Clancy has revealed the deeply personal way he continues to connect with his three children following their devastating deaths.
In his first television interview since the murder trial of his former wife, Lindsay Clancy, ended in a mistrial, Patrick spoke about the profound grief he continues to carry — and how he still turns to his children for support.
“I ask them for help, all the time,” Patrick told 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat.
Patrick’s children, Cora, five, Dawson, three, and eight-month-old Callan, were killed at the family’s home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, in January 2023.
The emotional interview offers a rare insight into how Patrick has attempted to rebuild his life while continuing to grieve the three children he lost.
Patrick still talks to his children
For Patrick, his relationship with Cora, Dawson and Callan has not ended.
Although his children are no longer physically with him, he explained that he continues to speak to them and draw strength from their memory.
His comments came as he reflected on life after the tragedy, which saw him lose all three of his children in a single devastating event.
Patrick was the person who discovered what had happened after returning home from an errand. He found Lindsay seriously injured outside the family home before entering the property and discovering the children.
The events of that day have remained at the centre of Patrick’s life ever since.
‘I ask them for help’
Rather than viewing his relationship with them as something that ended with their deaths, he described continuing to lean on them emotionally.
The grieving father has also spoken about experiencing vivid dreams involving his children.
In one dream, he recalled seeing his daughter Cora walk into the kitchen.
“I basically just said, ‘Where have you been?’” he recalled.
He described the dreams as feeling incredibly real and said Cora then came towards him and gave him a hug.
For a parent living with unimaginable loss, these moments appear to have become an important part of how Patrick maintains a connection with his children.
Patrick has rebuilt his life after the tragedy
Despite the devastation he experienced, Patrick has gradually begun rebuilding his life.
He has since divorced Lindsay and remarried Dr Rachel Danis, whom he met while running in New York City’s Central Park.
The couple married in April and have also revealed that they are expecting their first child together.
Patrick has said that he is looking forward to telling his future child about Cora, Dawson and Callan — ensuring that their older siblings remain part of their family story.
“I can’t wait to tell them about their brothers and sister,” he said.
His new life, however, exists alongside the grief of what happened to his first family.
Patrick has spoken in support of Lindsay
Lindsay has been charged with murdering their three children but pleaded not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility.
Her defence argued that she was experiencing postpartum psychosis when the children were killed and that she had not received adequate mental-health care.
Patrick has consistently described Lindsay as a loving mother before her mental health deteriorated.
Following the trial, which ended in a mistrial after jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict, Patrick also expressed forgiveness towards his former wife.
His position has been markedly different from the way Lindsay has been portrayed in some headlines.
Patrick has argued that mental illness, rather than a desire to harm her children, was behind what happened.
The trial ended without a verdict
Lindsay’s closely watched trial ended in September after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Some jurors subsequently indicated that the jury had been split 11-1 in favour of acquitting Lindsay on the grounds of lack of criminal responsibility.
Prosecutors have not yet announced whether they will seek a retrial.
For Patrick, however, the legal proceedings are only one part of a much larger story.
His focus remains on remembering the three children he lost — and finding a way to move forward while keeping their memory alive.
His decision to speak publicly about his grief has also given a rare insight into the complicated reality of rebuilding a life after unimaginable loss.
And, as Patrick’s comments make clear, Cora, Dawson and Callan remain a very real presence in his life.
“I ask them for help, all the time.”
