08/21/2026
Another Lindsey and Patrick case… and no, I’m not talking about the Clancys.
This is Lindsey and Patrick Barnett.
On August 13, Patrick Barnett called 911 and told police that he had found his wife, Lindsey, with her throat cut. He also told investigators that Lindsey had struggled with postpartum depression.
But investigators say the evidence inside their home told a very different story.
Police found a significant amount of blood in the bedroom, evidence they say suggested Lindsey had been moved, and injuries on Patrick that raised additional questions. Investigators also learned that another woman ,who identified herself as Patrick’s girlfriend called police that same day looking for him.
Patrick Barnett has now been charged with first-degree murder in Lindsey’s death.
And as a postpartum doula, there is one part of this story that I cannot stop thinking about:
Her postpartum depression became part of the explanation for her death.
Let me say something that I need people to understand.
Women DO struggle postpartum. Postpartum depression is real. Postpartum anxiety is real. Postpartum psychosis is real. Mothers need to be screened, supported, listened to and taken seriously.
But a history of postpartum depression should never automatically explain away what happens to a woman.
Lindsey’s mother told investigators that although her daughter had dealt with depression, she had been doing well. Lindsey was a mother of two and an elementary school art teacher preparing to return to her students.
Now she is gone.
And two babies are growing up without their mother while their father faces charges in her death.
This story is horrifying for many reasons, but I hope it also starts a bigger conversation about how vulnerable women can be during pregnancy and postpartum — and how important it is that we actually KNOW the women we say we are supporting.
Check on mothers.
Not just the baby.
Not just at the six-week appointment.
Not just when she says she’s struggling.
Check on HER.
Say her name: Lindsey Barnett. 🤍
