Massachusetts Mother Charged With Murder in Deaths of 2 Young Children

Janette MacAusland, 49, was arrested Saturday in connection with the deaths of her two children, ages 6 and 7, officials said.

Audrey Simons

Published: 4/27/2026, 3:56:25 PM EDT

Massachusetts Mother Charged With Murder in Deaths of 2 Young Children — Police tape in a file photo. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

A Massachusetts woman has been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the deaths of her two young children, officials said.

According to a press release from the Norfolk County District Attorney, Janette MacAusland, 49, was taken into custody on Saturday in Vermont and is facing two counts of murder after her 7-year-old son, Kai, and 6-year-old daughter, Ella, were found dead in her home in Wellesley, just outside of Boston.

The arrest follows an incident Friday evening, when police were contacted and asked to conduct a welfare check after MacAusland arrived at a family member's residence in Bennington, Vermont, "appearing highly distraught" and bleeding with a possible neck injury, local authorities said.

"Officers attempted to engage her in conversation and, during the interaction, became increasingly concerned for the welfare of her children," the Bennington Police Department said. "As a result, officers requested that the Wellesley Police Department respond to MacAusland’s residence in Wellesley, Massachusetts, to conduct a check on the children."

After being dispatched to MacAusland’s home on Edgemoor Avenue, Wellesley officers located her two children dead inside the residence, prosecutors said. MacAusland was subsequently arrested in Vermont as a fugitive from justice and booked into the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Rutland without bail.

She appeared virtually in court on Monday afternoon and waived her right to fight extradition.

"She's decided that the best thing is to get back to Massachusetts as soon as possible and address these charges," her defense attorney, Jeff Rubin, said during the hearing.

Prosecutors said the investigation into the children's deaths remains ongoing and is being conducted by the Massachusetts State Police and the Wellesley Police Department.

Officials have not yet released the cause of the children's deaths or a possible motive for the alleged killings. NBC10 reported that Janette MacAusland had been involved in a custody dispute with her estranged husband, Samuel MacAusland, who filed for divorce in October 2025 after nine years of marriage.

Kai and Ella were students at Schofield Elementary School. David Lussier, Superintendent of Wellesley Public Schools, told CBS News that the school's crisis team would be available on Monday to provide support and services to students, faculty, and families.

"This is an unimaginable loss that will be deeply felt not just at Schofield but across our entire community," Lussier told the outlet. "I ask that we all keep this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."