The mistrial came after six weeks of court proceedings and after jurors deliberated for more than 40 hours over seven days.

“There will be no decisions made today,” Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said on Friday on what could happen next in the case.

He said he would meet with the rest of their legal team to decide whether they will pursue a new trial.

“The facts are Lindsay Clancy killed her three children and the evidence suggested to us that she was in control of her actions when she committed those homicides,” he said.

Outside the court on Friday, Reddington said he believed 11 of the 12 jurors would have delivered a verdict that favoured Clancy, had it not been for the one holdout.

But it remains unclear what position any member of the jury took or what talks looked like in the deliberation room.

For weeks the case gripped the country and sparked debate over the topic of postpartum psychosis. Many followed along with livestreams of the trial, as family members and experts testified. Each day, more than 200 members of the media crowded the court and groups of supporters in varying sizes often gathered outside.

The widespread attention even spurred comments on Friday from US President Donald Trump, who called the case a “horrible tragedy”.

“She did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse,” he said at the White House. “I assume there’s going to be another trial.”

“But you’ll find out what the price to pay is,” Trump added. “There’ll be a price.”

If you are suffering distress or despair and need support, you could speak to a health professional, or an organisation that offers support. Details of help available in many countries can be found at Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org.

In the UK a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.