Wellesley mother accused of killing children confessed to strangling them, court documents reveal

WELLESLEY, Mass. — A Wellesley mother accused of killing her two children confessed to police that she strangled them and tried to kill herself, according to court documents.

Today, 49-year-old Janette MacAusland agreed to be extradited to Massachusetts in front of a Vermont judge after facing a fugitive from justice charge.

She will appear in court to face the murder charges within the next two weeks.

What we know

In an affidavit obtained by Boston 25, 49-year-old Janette MacAusland arrived at her aunt’s house on Friday night in Vermont around 8:44 p.m. with a visible wound on her neck in hysterics. She got her aunt’s attention by knocking on her window.

“After getting her to calm down, checked her neck, and could see that the blood on her was dried, Janette stated that she tried to kill herself,” the aunt allegedly told police.

“Asked her where her children were and she told me that she had killed them.”

Police arrived on scene and asked MacAusland if the children were okay, to which “she shook her head side to side.” She handed them a holiday photo of the family.

When asked where the children were, she stated. “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself.” She revealed that both of them were in her bed. She also told police that her husband was “at the lake.”

“I wanted the 3 of us to go to God together but it didn’t work,” MacAusland allegedly told police.

Vermont police contacted Wellesley police to conduct a welfare check, and found the two children deceased in bed, corroborating MacAusland’s earlier statements.

Boston 25 Investigates learned from sources that the children may have been dead for up to 50 hours before they were found, as they were last seen on Wednesday.

MacAusland was then transported to Southwestern Vermont Medical Center. She would later be arrested for two counts of murder.

Custody battle was underway

Janette MacAusland and her husband, Samuel MacAusland, were in the midst of a custody battle after Samuel filed for divorce in October of 2025. The couple had been married for around nine years.

According to court documents, Janette had filed a counter claim for custody of the kids and the home.

A guardian ad litem was then assigned on April 16. Their next court date was set for early May.

He was reported to be away when the kids were found.

Kai and Ella

6-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Kai were students at Schofield Elementary School in Wellesley.

“Today was an emotional day for our entire district as we grieved the loss of two of our young students. By all accounts, Kai and Ella were shining lights, with close connections to children and adults that extended well beyond the Schofield Elementary School,” Superintendent David Lussier said in a statement.

“Over the weekend, we began organizing support and connecting with our community in preparation for the reopening of school today. On Sunday we hosted separate sessions with our student services professionals, with teachers and staff, and with families. Throughout the day, experts from inside and outside the district shared helpful guidance and answered challenging questions about how to best support students and each other in the days ahead,” he said.

Lussier said the school had additional counseling support in place in all 16 classrooms at Schofield as well as additional counselors at Hardy, where Kai had also been a student for two years.

“As difficult as today was for our schools, we are so grateful to the entire Wellesley community, which has come forward with countless offers of assistance and an outpouring of love for all who cared for Kai and Ella,” Lussier said.

A former babysitter for Kai and Ella told Boston 25 on Sunday that both children were full of life and laughter.

“They were two beautiful children who were full of life and laughter, and it pains me to think that the world should remember them only by the way their lives were tragically ended,” Cale Darrah said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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