Janette MacAusland of Wellesley, Mass., on Monday was charged with two counts of first-degree murder on Monday by a grand jury for the strangulation murders of her two young children

MacAusland a 49-year-old Massachusetts acupuncturist has been indicted for killing her son Kai, 7, and daughter Ella, 6, inside the family’s  home on April 22, strangulation murders of her two young children

Killings happened in the middle of her bitter divorce from the children’s father, Samuel MacAusland, as former couple feud over custody and control of their $1.5 million home

After killing her children she fled to her aunt’s home in Vermont, where she was arrested on April 24, 2026

Arriving at her aunt’s home distraught and with a visible neck injury and told her family member that she had killed the children – family turned her in

Her case will now be moved to Norfolk County Superior Court, but she is held without bail 

She faces life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder

A Massachusetts grand jury on Monday charged Janette MacAusland, [photo], with two counts of first-degree murder of her son, 7, and daughter, 6, on Monday which happened at their home in Wellesley on April 22

A Massachusetts acupuncturist has been indicted for the strangulation murders of her two young children.
Janette MacAusland, 49, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder on Monday by a grand jury after she killed her son Kai, seven, and six-year-old daughter Ella inside the family’s $1.5 million Wellesley home in April.
MacAusland strangled the brother and sister before fleeing to her aunt’s home in Vermont, where she was arrested on April 24, police said.
At the time, she and the children’s father, Samuel MacAusland, were in the middle of a bitter divorce, feuding over custody of the children and control of the three-bedroom New England home, according to court documents previously obtained by the Daily Mail.
She arrived at her aunt’s home distraught and with a visible neck injury and told her family member that she had killed the children, police said.
MacAusland is believed to have killed her kids ‘on or about’ April 22, the indictments stated.
She remains held without bail inside the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center.

The mother-of-two allegedly strangled Kai, 7, and Ella, 6, [photo], to death at her home on April 24, 2026

After killing her children at home in Wellesley, Mass. on April 22, Janette MacAusland fled to her aunt’s home in Vermont to confess. The family turned her in and she was arrested on April 24

The latest move in her case comes just a little more than a month after she appeared in court, shaking and sobbing.
She donned a bright red prison jumpsuit and was shackled at her wrists and ankles as she looked down at the floor with her hair in her face.
Her lawyer, Joseph Krowski Jr, asked that she be released on a $25,000 bail, 24/7 GPS surveillance, home confinement and a probation period, but a judge denied his request.
He also argued that MacAusland ‘should not be deprived of her liberty while they get their act together,’ in reference to the medical examiner, as the definitive cause of death for Kai and Ella remained unclear.
The bail request was denied.
Court records and police affidavits stated that MacAusland strangled the two of them to death, but the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not released its official cause of death as of September 10.

Janette MacAusland and estranged husband Samuel MacAusland, [photo], were in the middle of a bitter divorce, feuding over custody of their children, Kai and Ella, as well as control of the family’s New England home [right]

A grand jury can move forward with the case as long as they believe there is enough evidence to charge someone with a crime.
An investigation into MacAusland began when officers with the Bennington Police Department in Vermont were asked to conduct a welfare check at a nearby residence for a woman who appeared ‘highly distraught,’ the Bennington Police Department said.
Callers reportedly told police she had a visible neck injury with blood, and upon making contact, officers identified the woman as MacAusland.
Janette and the children’s father, Samuel MacAusland, were in the middle of a bitter divorce, feuding over custody of the children and control of the three-bedroom New England home according to court documents.

Admitting to her horrendous crime Janette MacAusland – confessed to taking the lives of her children ‘s Kai and Ella, The plan was for her and her children ‘to go to God together, ‘ she told cops

Officers who attempted to speak with her said they became ‘increasingly concerned’ about the welfare of her children during the interaction, prompting an immediate call back to police near her Massachusetts home.
Wellesley police responded to the home later that evening and made the grisly discovery.
Janette who prior to the breakdown of her marriage often took to social media to gloat about how much of a doting husband and father, confessed to taking her children’s lives, stating that she planned for her and her children ‘to go to God together,’ according to a police report obtained by the Globe.
MacAusland also told police that she drove to the Quechee Gorge Bridge in Vermont and tried to jump, but couldn’t do it, the report stated.

Janette MacAusland’s arraignment has been scheduled for October 29. At the last court appearance, her attorney, asked to waive her presence in court that day

Following Samuel MacAusland filing for divorce in October 2025, the both parties couple agreed to having a court-appointed guardian assigned represent the children during a May 5 hearing that never took place

Samuel MacAusland filed for divorce from Janette in October 2025, following which both parties agreed that a court-appointed guardian be assigned to represent the children during a May 5 hearing that never took place.
A probable cause hearing has been scheduled for MacAusland on October 29.
However, during her last court appearance, the alleged killer mom through her defense attorney Krowski Jr., sought the court’s permission to have her presence in court be waived for that day.