Background: The home in which Janette MacAusland’s two children, ages 6 and 7, were found dead (YouTube/WCAX). Inset: Janette MacAusland (LinkedIn).
Janette MacAusland, 49, now faces two counts of murder following the deaths of her children, 6-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Kai. This development was reported by WFXT, a Boston Fox affiliate. Authorities from the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office revealed that police were alerted to the situation during a welfare check at the family’s residence on Edgemoor Avenue in Wellesley around 9:30 p.m. last Friday.
Upon their arrival, officers made the grim discovery of the two children’s bodies inside the home.
The identity of the individual who initiated the welfare check remains unknown at this time.
MacAusland was apprehended in Bennington, Vermont, on charges of being a fugitive from justice. She is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, where proceedings for her extradition to Massachusetts will begin, allowing her to face the murder charges.
MacAusland was reportedly arrested in Bennington, Vermont, on a fugitive from justice charge. She is expected to appear in court on Monday before being extradited to Massachusetts to face the murder charges.
MacAusland and her husband, Samuel MacAusland, had been locked in a custody battle since divorce proceedings started in October, WFXT reported. Samuel MacAusland initially filed for divorce, and Janette MacAusland filed a counterclaim in November. Just last week, a guardian ad litem was appointed to protect the children’s best interests during the case.
A former babysitter for the family told the station that Kai and Ella were “full of life and laughter.” A neighbor described the family as “nice people … always kind, always cheerful.”
Janette MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist at New England Integrated Health, the Boston Globe reported. As of Sunday afternoon, her profile was removed from the company’s website.
