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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, faces two murder charges following the deaths of her children, 6-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Kai. The Boston Fox affiliate, WFXT, reported these developments as confirmed by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.
Police were alerted to the situation after receiving a call around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, requesting a well-being check at a residence on Edgemoor Avenue in Wellesley. Upon arrival, officers found the two children deceased inside the home.
Details regarding who initiated the welfare check remain unclear at this time. The investigation is ongoing as authorities seek to piece together the circumstances leading up to this devastating event.
It was not immediately clear who made the call requesting the welfare check.
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.