Janette MacAusland is a woman from Massachusetts who has been charged with the murders of her two children
According to police reports Janette MacAusland was in a custody battle with her ex husband when she would murder 6-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Kai
Officers in Wellesley Massachusetts would go to the home to perform a wellness check and would discover the two bodies.
Janette MacAusland would flee to Vermont where she would be arrested and will be extradited back to Massachusetts to stand trial for the murders of her children
Janette MacAusland News
A Massachusetts mother accused this past weekend of killing her two young children was found by police with a “major” neck wound.
Janette MacAusland, 49, was arrested Friday night, April 24, after police responded to a call for a wellness check after she allegedly arrived distraught at a relative’s home in Bennington, Vt., according to MassLive, Boston 25 News, the Bennington Banner. The incident caused officers concern about her children’s welfare back at the MacAusland’s home in Wellesley, Mass., and contacted local police there, who then discovered the children dead inside the home.
Cale Darrah, who told the Boston Globe she was a babysitter for the family for about one year through June 2024, identified the two children as Ella and Kai MacAusland. Kai was 7 years old and Ella was 6, according to the Banner.
Citing Bennington Police, MassLive, Boston 25 News and the Banner reported that officers allegedly discovered MacAusland bleeding from a wound on her neck when they arrived at the family member’s home to check on her. Police said the accused mother also appeared distraught, according to the Banner, which said officers described the cut to the mother’s neck as “major.”
MassLive reported that MacAusland’s husband, Samuel MacAusland, filed for divorce last October and sought custody of their two children, as well as the family’s home. The outlet reported that MacAusland countersued her estranged husband, seeking the same. The husband has not been accused of wrongdoing.
PEOPLE previously reported that MacAusland was an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health and works at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The accused mother appeared in a Vermont courtroom Monday afternoon and signed papers agreeing to waive her extradition rights, while the court agreed to extradite her back to Massachusetts within the next two weeks where she’s expected to face charges in connection with her children’s deaths.
The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced in a news release over the weekend that MacAusland would be charged with two counts of murder. Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility inmate records reviewed by PEOPLE show that MacAusland remains in custody at the Rutland, Vt., facility as of Monday afternoon.
Back in Massachusetts, the Wellesley community mourned the death of the two young MacAusland children. The Wellesley Police Department said counselors were available for students Monday “to provide support and services” at the Wellesley Public School System, where Kai and Ella were enrolled.
Darrah, the family’s former babysitter, told the Globe that both children seemed happy and healthy.
“Never did I enter the house and feel like there was anything that was extremely off,” Darrah told the newspaper.
“It doesn’t really feel real at all,” Darrah added. “Not that it should happen anywhere but especially in a town like Wellesley where nothing like this ever happens.”
Mom Accused of Killing 2 Kids Had Neck Wound Amid Bitter Custody Fight
