Massachusetts mom shows up in Vermont, acting erratically and with a major neck wound, prompting a welfare call. Now, she insists she is ‘not guilty’

Janette MacAusland is a mother facing two counts of murder in the deaths of her young children, Ella and Kai. Per the Boston Globe, she just entered a ‘not guilty’ plea at the Dedham District Court. This case began when MacAusland appeared at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, distraught, with a severe neck wound. 

According to a police report, the aunt attempted to provide aid, stating, “After getting her to calm down, I checked her neck and could see that the blood on her was dried. Janette stated that she tried to kill herself.” When asked about the whereabouts of her children, MacAusland told her aunt that she had killed them.

Bennington police then requested a welfare check. Responding police in Wellesley, Massachusetts, noted the presence of blood, and authorities soon discovered the two children, aged 6 and 7, deceased in a bed. Despite the plea, the court has ordered that she be held without bail.

This case continues to be a shock to the system

The account provided to police further details that MacAusland had allegedly attempted to jump from the Quechee Gorge Bridge in central Vermont but felt unable to go through with it. When officers arrived at the scene in Bennington, she handed them a holiday photo of her family. 

When asked about the children, she shook her head. She indicated to the officers that she had strangled them, hoping that they could all “go to God together but it didn’t work.”

Back in Wellesly, an official cause of death has not yet been released. However, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation suggested the children had been in the home for some time.

Before the tragic events, the family appeared to live a quiet life in Wellesley. Records show that MacAusland worked as an acupuncturist and massage therapist, having founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. She also holds a master’s degree from the New England School of Acupuncture and a bachelor’s degree from Vermont College. 

According to the Boston Globe, neighbors often saw the children playing in their backyard. Those who knew the family, including a former babysitter named Cale Darrah, described MacAusland as a doting and attentive mother who was methodical in managing the children’s schedules and needs.

Despite this outward appearance of stability, the family was navigating a complex personal situation. Court records indicate that Samuel S. MacAusland, the children’s father, filed for divorce in October. He had been seeking full custody of the children and control of the family home in Wellesley. Thus far, he hasn’t given a statement on the situation.

MacAusland had been held in a Vermont jail since her initial arrest, and she appeared in court there on April 27, where she agreed to be returned to Massachusetts. Her transfer to the Commonwealth was delayed until this week, though the specifics of that timeline remain unclear. 

During her appearance in Dedham District Court on Wednesday, she wore a cream-colored sweatshirt and glasses. She kept her hands folded throughout the proceedings, looking downward with her eyes closed.

The community has been left to grapple with the loss of the two children, who were students at Schofield Elementary School. Wellesley Public Schools superintendent David Lussier previously stated that the loss would be deeply felt across the entire community. 

MacAusland’s next court hearing is currently slated for July 13. It is unfortunate that whatever triggered her to self-harm also spilled over to her children. Recently, in a similar circumstance, a mother abducted her children and took them to Europe. Thankfully, she only abandoned them at an orphanage and did not harm them further. 

For now, the town of Wellesley and those connected to the family are left waiting for more answers as the judicial system begins its work on this case.