A Tragic Loss and a Silent Presence
In a heart-wrenching event that has left a community in shock, a Massachusetts mother allegedly killed her young son and daughter at their home in an affluent Boston suburb. The tragic incident occurred on April 24 when Kai and Ella MacAusland, aged seven and six, were found dead in their $1.5 million home in Wellesley. According to police reports, their mother, Janette MacAusland, 49, was the one who strangled them.
Janette, an acupuncturist, then drove to her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, where she was arrested and confessed to taking her children’s lives. She reportedly told authorities that she wanted the three of them “to go to God together.” This chilling statement is part of a police report obtained by The Boston Globe.
The mother, who was in the middle of a bitter divorce with her husband, Sam MacAusland, 62, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
A Funeral Without the Mother
On Saturday afternoon, distraught family and friends gathered inside St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wellesley to say their final goodbyes to the beloved siblings. Several people, including neighbors, family friends, and their father, Sam, stood in front of their small caskets, sharing bittersweet memories of Ella and Kai.
At times, speakers would allude to the extreme circumstances surrounding their deaths, but Janette was never brought up. She was also not in attendance as she remains in custody at Western Mass Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Massachusetts.
Honoring the Children
People who spoke about the brother and sister took time to mention Sam, with one close friend stating: “The way he loved those children was unbelievable.” Sam also got up and shared a series of stories about his beloved children, and shared a sentimental moment with guests when he placed his hands in the shape of a heart, telling everyone it was something Kai used to do.
“The most wonderful thing I loved about them was the way they helped each other,” Sam said before leading the congregation. He also touched upon their favorite things to do, including dancing, swimming, drawing rainbows and hearts, and more.
Sam also shared a song that his daughter wrote called “Rainbow colors.”
“Rainbow shine down on my family. Rainbow shine down on my family… Rainbow colors shine down on my family,” he said, reciting the lyrics.
Another woman, who said she and her family live across the street from the MacAuslands, said they had spent time with Ella and Kai just days before their deaths.
“Our street is too quiet now. Our lives feel duller. We miss you, and you will live on in our hearts,” the neighbor added.
Kai and Ella MacAusland service, May 16, 2026, 2pm
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St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Wellesley
The Aftermath of the Tragedy
The hour-long service was followed by a private burial, according to Kai and Ella’s obituary. Kai was in second grade, and his sister was in kindergarten at Schofield Elementary School.
After her arrest, Janette was seen with a visible bloody neck injury in her mugshot. “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself,” she told an officer with the Bennington Police Department. “I wanted the three of us to go to God together, but it didn’t work,” MacAusland added, per the police report.
After hearing her chilling confession, authorities in Vermont immediately notified police in Massachusetts, who conducted a welfare check on the couple’s home, where they discovered the deceased children.
The Discovery of the Bodies
At the time, Sam was in New Hampshire and was alerted by a neighbor that police were at his home, according to dispatch records first obtained by The Globe. He desperately called 911 for answers, with a dispatcher telling the police commander at the scene: “The father is on the phone now.. (He’s) uncontrollable. He really needs to know what’s going on,” the dispatcher said.
The commander then said he was trying to connect Sam to law enforcement near him in New Hampshire, while investigators searched the gruesome scene where his children were murdered.
Police said Kai and Ella were strangled to death in their family home, and their bodies were left for “some time” before they were discovered, but did not elaborate on how long it was before they were found. The dispatch logs also revealed the moment police found the children’s bodies, as an officer reported that he arrived to find no cars in the driveway and a “rear door unsecured.”
The officer at the scene told dispatch that seconds after entering the home, he found evidence that a gruesome crime had been committed. “There’s blood splatter,” the officer said, according to police recordings posted by Broadcastify.
As more units arrived at the home around 10pm that night, officers then found the bodies of Kai and Ella strangled to death.
MacAusland is due to appear back in court in July and has been held without bail following her arrest.
