The Lindsay Clancy Conspiracy Spiral | The New Yorker
newyorker.com
Thousands online insist Pat Clancy — not Lindsay — killed their children, despite Lindsay facing the charges. What makes a conspiracy theory feel more believable than a courtroom?
Conspiracy TheorySocial ProofCognitive DissonanceAvailability Heuristic
Theory Briefing
- Social-media commentators built a following around the theory that Pat Clancy committed the killings, not Lindsay, who is the one charged.
- The case spread virally before trial, letting online narratives harden into conviction long before any verdict.
- Conspiracy belief here may reflect how gruesome crimes involving mothers trigger disbelief, making an alternative villain feel psychologically necessary.
- The New Yorker frames the spiral itself as the story — how platforms turn a criminal case into a choose-your-own-suspect experience.