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A mother from a well-to-do neighborhood near Boston has been detained in Vermont following accusations that she took the lives of her two young children.
Authorities in Bennington, Vermont, apprehended 49-year-old Janette MacAusland from Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Friday evening. She was discovered at a relative’s residence in the area, appearing deeply agitated and with a noticeable neck wound that was bleeding.
“During interactions with her, officers grew increasingly concerned about the safety of her children,” stated the Bennington Police Department in a press release.
An undated self-portrait of Janette MacAusland. (Photo courtesy of Janette Reber/Facebook)
Following this unsettling encounter, Bennington police reached out to authorities in Wellesley to perform a welfare check at MacAusland’s home. Upon arrival, Wellesley police made a horrifying discovery, finding the two children deceased.
They took MacAusland into custody as a fugitive from justice, and said Massachusetts issued a criminal warrant for two counts of murder. She is being held in the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Vermont and will be arraigned Monday afternoon at Rutland Criminal Division court.
A mugshot of Janette MacAusland, 49, who is accused of killing her two young children from April 24, 2026. (Bennington Police Department)
The court said it did not know whether Rutland has an attorney.
MacAusland’s husband, Samuel MacAusland, filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage, citing an “irretrievable breakdown of the marriage,” court records show. Those documents also list their two children, seven-year-old Kai and six-year-old Ella. Samuel was seeking custody of the children.
The children attended Schofield Elementary School.
A Wellesley, Massachusetts police cruiser from 2024. (Wellesley Police Department)
“We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of two of our WPS students, a second-grader and kindergartener at Schofield Elementary School,” Wellesley Public schools said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital.
“This is an unimaginable loss that will be deeply felt not just at Schofield but across our entire community. Our crisis team is planning support for students, staff, and families as we prepare for the reopening of school on Monday. I ask that we all keep this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”