A Massachusetts acupuncturist, facing charges in the tragic deaths of her children within their $1 million residence, has not yet been extradited to the state, leaving experts puzzled over the delay.
Janette MacAusland, aged 49, was embroiled in a contentious divorce with her husband, 62-year-old Samuel MacAusland, when authorities arrested her in Vermont on April 25. The arrest was linked to the tragic demise of their two children, Kai and Ella.
Following her arrest, MacAusland participated in a virtual court session three days later, where she consented to extradition, permitting Massachusetts law enforcement to return her to the state where the alleged crimes took place.
Despite this, over a week has passed, and MacAusland remains at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, Vermont’s sole women’s prison, located in South Burlington.
This delay is perplexing experts, as the legal proceedings cannot advance until she is returned to Massachusetts. This situation was highlighted by The Boston Globe.
Retired Superior Court Judge John T. Lu expressed his surprise at the situation, noting, “Given that there is no need for plane travel, it’s perplexing why the authorities would delay transport for an entire week,” while also speculating on possible reasons for the delay.
Lu said the ‘primary focus’ is usually to get the alleged criminal back to the ‘state of offense,’ but if there were concerns for the mother’s mental or physical health, it could delay the extradition as police have to ‘ensure her complete safety.’
Although no official reason for the delay has been announced, the 49-year-old allegedly arrived at her aunt’s Vermont home covered in blood from a wound on her neck, where she allegedly attempted suicide.
Janette MacAusland, 49, has yet to be extradited back to Massachusetts, despite waiving the right in court three days after her arrest
MacAusland is accused of killing her two children Ella and Kai
Her aunt told police the acupuncturist arrived at her Wellesley home completely hysterical and told her the children were in her bed in Massachusetts. After a wellness check, police found the children’s dead bodies.
A spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Corrections said Massachusetts will assume custody of MacAusland within 15 days, The Globe reported.
When she returns, MacAusland will be arraigned on two counts of murder.
Her attorney could request a psychiatric evaluation or seek an insanity plea.
MacAusland was in the middle of a divorce when the alleged murders occurred.
Her husband, Samuel, filed for divorce in October 2025, citing an ‘irretrievable breakdown,’ according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The legal battle included the couple feuding over the custody of their children and who would get control of their three-bed home in recent months.
But before their relationship turned ugly, Janette often took to social media to gloat about how much of a doting husband and father Samuel was to their kids.
The children’s bodies were found in the family’s $1million Wellesley home
MacAusland was going through a divorce at the time of the murders
In a post from June 2021, MacAusland shared an image of Samuel lying in bed with their son and daughter as the family celebrated Father’s Day.
‘Sunday Slowdown. Happy Father’s Day to every dad that shows up. And this one shows up BIGTIME,’ she wrote.
In a separate post, shared just a month prior, Janette wrote, ‘Destination: Date Night’, next to a selfie of her and Samuel.
In February 2021, she posted a picture of her husband, captioning it: ‘5 years ago, in Costa Rica, BC (before children).’
The two of them married in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in February 2016, according to the divorce complaint that Samuel filed last year.
Over the years, Janette had also shared pictures of their destination wedding, her pregnant with his children, and numerous images of Ella and Kai bonding as brother and sister.
The children, one in second grade and the other in kindergarten, attended Schofield Elementary School.
Neighbor David Kessler told The Boston Globe that he frequently heard the school-aged children playing and laughing in their backyard, which sat adjacent to his front yard, most recently less than a week ago.
The mother-of-two has been charged with two counts of murder. Once she is back in Massachusetts, she will be arraigned on the charges
Experts speculate the mother may not have been moved back to Massachusetts due to mental or physical health issues, as the Massachusetts police have to ensure her safety. After allegedly killing her kids, she allegedly attempted to take her own life
MacAusland arrived at her aunt’s house with a bloody neck wound and was hysterical while telling her where the children were, her aunt said
Kessler was interviewed by state and local police around 8am Saturday, where the response to his question was chilling.
‘Police told me, “It’s as bad as you can imagine,”‘ Kessler told the outlet. ‘That’s when I knew it was something serious.’
Cale Darrah, the kids’ former caretaker, told Boston 25 News: ‘They were two beautiful children who were full of life and laughter, and it pains me to think that the world should remember them only by the way their lives were tragically ended.’
MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which has since removed her bio.
Her profile said she also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
