TikTok videos of women crying with infants cradled in their arms have drawn backlash amid Lindsay Clancy’s trial. The videos show women rocking infants or toddlers with on-screen text like “same, Lindsay” overlaid on excerpts from Clancy's writings about her struggles with anxiety, depression, and despair as a parent.
Critics have condemned the videos, labeling the tears staged and the content exploitative, raising alarms about glamorizing filicide. Calls have grown to avoid the recreation of the tragic case.
“Where’s CPS?? This woman is likely a danger to her child,” Libs of TikTok wrote, sharing one of these videos.
“They’re using Lindsay Clancy’s diary words read in court to make videos with their babies and they are fake crying,” another user said.
One wrote, “It’s the way she turns her face so the camera can see the tears that makes this extra psychotic for me.”
“All I want you to do is think about how it looks. Stop trying to go for clout. You have a baby that will one day see that sh**. You have family or a husband who sees that sh**. Are you trying to tell people that you should be watched and treated as if you are an imminent threat?” wrote a user.
One said, “This is the logical endpoint of enabling mental disorders rather than treating them. People feel way too comfortable putting themselves on the internet during these episodes because it gives them validation they should be seeking from God. I pray that this child gets help before their mother decides it's too much for her. The kids are not alright.”
“I can’t imagine seeing a video of the mother of my kids sympathizing with infanticide,” another wrote.
Clancy is facing three counts of murder in the killings of her children Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months. The proceedings are taking place in a Plymouth, Massachusetts, courtroom. During the trial, jurors were presented with excerpts from Lindsay’s personal journals and extensive medical records that detailed her increasing struggles with profound insomnia, anxiety, and overwhelming parenting stress.
Attorneys read aloud some of her diary entries about her deteriorating mental health while caring for her three children.
“It’s like I’m so desperate to get a mental break from taking care of everyone that my mind is trying to make something physically wrong with me,” she wrote.
Lindsay also wrote that she felt “guilty” and was struggling to sleep-train Callan.
“I want help. I want to be well,” she wrote.
Lindsay has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. If convicted of murder, she faces life in prison without parole. In case she is found not guilty due to a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More
