Exclusive | How Lindsay Clancy and social contagion could be fueling horrifying killer-mom cases

Illinois mom Corie Walsh allegedly hanged her 2-year-old son Barrett and then tried to kill herself in September after intensely following the trial of Lindsay Clancy — who received sympathy from millions of women and nationwide attention killing her three young kids.Then, this week, Indiana mom Shatayvia Alisha Calderon executed her son Julian, 9, weeks after sharing a fundraiser for Clancy’s family.There have been at least eight cases of mothers allegedly killing or attempting to kill their children since Clancy’s trial began in July — raising questions about whether sick moms have caught a “social contagion” following the wall-to-wall coverage.Experts on copycat killings say the spate of headline-grabbing murderer moms bears all the hallmarks of “social contagion” — a controversial idea that high-profile acts of violence such as mass-shootings and suicides can inspire copycats.But, they also caution, this could also be a case of confirmation bias — that is, people giving more attention to cases likely Clancy’s in the wake of her trial.“This fits the contagion model, especially with all the media attention,” said Dan Romer, of the Annenberg Public Policy Center.Romer — who has studied how the viral Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” may have inspired a rash of youth suicides — said watching both Clancy and the activists who came out in droves to support her may have resonated with other disturbed mothers on the brink.“If there is an audience that sees the event as relevant to them, you could have a contagion effect,’’ the expert said.“The fact that these are mothers does fit into that narrative.

They’ve seen another mother who’s been under a lot of stress and takes the lives of their family.The sheer size of interest in the Clancy case could also be a factor in sending moms who are already ill over the edge.“The Lindsay Clancy case has been all over the news like no other filicide case before,” said Dr.Susan Hatters...