New Hampshire mom ‘in a rut’ kills family and herself: TikTok post said she was ‘determined to create normalcy’

Content warning: This article describes suicide and child murder. Please take care while reading.

A New Hampshire mom shared a TikTok post complaining of her depression, adding she was “in a rut” but said she was “determined to create normalcy” before killing her husband and three of her four children on Monday, August 18, 2025. She then turned the gun on herself.

Long’s last TikTok post

In the weeks leading up to the killings, Emily Long, 34, from Madbury, New Hampshire, posted frequently on TikTok, calling the account a kind of diary while her husband battled brain cancer. In videos and captions, she talked about feeling depressed and “in a rut,” described efforts to re-establish routines at home, and said the children were struggling as their father’s illness progressed.

Reports say she had been unusually open about her mental health in the final weeks and that her content centered on coping, loneliness, and pushing back on her worsening mood.

On August 18, investigators say Long fatally shot her husband, Ryan Long, 48, and their two children — Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6 — at their Madbury home before dying by suicide.

According to local news outlet WMUR, the couple’s other child, a toddler, was unharmed and is now in the care of family members, authorities said.

Autopsies ruled the adults’ and children’s deaths homicides, and Emily’s death a suicide. According to investigators, Long used a handgun from the home in the attack.

Long: “I’m getting out of this depression”

On TikTok, Long referred to herself as a “brain cancer wife.” Early on, her posts gave practical caregiving updates, but over time, they evolved into distressed reflections on finances, work, and parenting amid her husband’s terminal diagnosis.

In her final post, Long acknowledged feeling very low but said she was trying to climb out. “Today I decided I need to make a conscious effort to shift my mindset,” she said. “I’m getting out of this depression whether I want to or not. I am determined to create normalcy.”

In a previous post, Long said, “‘I feel very, very lonely. I feel so anxious… I know that I need to see a therapist, I know that I need to ask for help… but I’m not ready to acknowledge that, I think.”

She added, “I feel so guilty that I’m not ready to get help yet, but… it is what it is, right? I know that I will one day, and I hope that I make the decision before I feel that it’s too late.”

Referring to the case, the local medical examiner told Daily Mail, “While investigators are becoming aware of various concerns/issues ongoing in the household at the time of the event in question, people should avoid speculating that this event was caused by a single reason or stressor.”