A New Hampshire woman who shot and killed her terminally-ill husband and two of her children before turning the gun on herself had been accused of stealing more than $600,000 from her employer days earlier, according to the business owner.
Emily Long, 34, was found dead alongside her husband Ryan Long, 48, and their sons Parker and Ryan, aged 8 and 6, at their home in Madbury on August 18. The couple's three-year-old child was discovered alive and physically unharmed. Officials said Long used a handgun from the family home, killing her husband, who had been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer, and both children with single gunshot wounds before fatally shooting herself.
Her employer, Derek Fisher, owner of Wing-Itz, said he had filed a complaint with Hampton police on August 11, alleging Long had stolen approximately $600,000 from the company. According to Fisher, the money began disappearing in 2023, before Mr Long's diagnosis, with irregularities discovered in June when he and a bookkeeper found a series of checks written directly to Long. The bank later said the requested statements appeared manipulated and contained missing pages.
Fisher told WMUR he remained in shock and had no answers about where the money went or why she took it, but confirmed Long was the only person with access to the funds. He said he had no plans to pursue legal action to recover the money. It is unclear whether the alleged theft played any role in the deaths.
Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said the case was complex, adding: “I think the big thing is to try not to speculate that any one reason something like this happens. Homicide and suicide is usually much, much more complex than just one reason.” In the weeks before the shooting, Long, who had more than 170,000 followers on TikTok, had spoken candidly about life as a “Brain Cancer Wife”, expressing feelings of loneliness and anxiety and admitting she knew she needed help from a therapist.
