Janette MacAusland, a 49-year-old acupuncturist, has been charged with two counts of murder following the deaths of her two children in Wellesley, a wealthy suburb of Boston considered one of the safest cities in the United States. Police found the children, 7-year-old Kai and 6-year-old Ella, dead in their home on Friday evening after Vermont police requested a welfare check.
MacAusland was arrested as a fugitive in Vermont on Saturday and is being held pending a court appearance. The causes of death have not been disclosed. Court records show that her estranged husband, Samuel MacAusland, had filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage, and that Janette was seeking custody of the children.
The children attended Schofield Elementary School, where they were in kindergarten and second grade. Superintendent David Lussier said in a statement that counsellors would be available at the school to support staff and students, describing the incident as 'an unimaginable loss'.
Former babysitter Cale Darrah told the Boston Globe that the children were happy and well cared for, and that she had never noticed anything amiss. Darrah described MacAusland as a doting, detail-oriented mother, though she felt MacAusland believed she was shouldering more childcare and housework.
MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which removed her bio from its website. Her profile stated she also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Wellesley, home to around 30,000 people, had an average home price of $1.5 million and was ranked among the safest US cities.
