Acupuncturist mom had picture-perfect life, $1.5M house before it all fell apart — now she’s accused of killing her young kids
Janette MacAusland, a respected acupuncturist and mother of two from Wellesley, Massachusetts, is accused of strangling her children, 7-year-old Kai and 6-year-old Ella, amid a bitter divorce and custody battle with her husband Samuel. Once seen as living a picture-perfect life in a $1.5 million home, her family's tragic collapse has shocked friends and neighbors who saw no warning signs. MacAusland allegedly confessed to the killings and attempted suicide before turning herself in at her aunt's home in Bennington, Vermont.
- ▪Janette MacAusland is accused of strangling her two children, Kai, 7, and Ella, 6, in their Wellesley, Massachusetts home.
- ▪The alleged killings occurred one day after a guardian was appointed in the ongoing custody battle between MacAusland and her estranged husband Samuel.
- ▪MacAusland turned herself in at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, with a self-inflicted throat injury and confessed to the crimes.
- ▪Friends, neighbors, and the family’s former babysitter described MacAusland as kind and attentive, expressing shock at the allegations.
- ▪Samuel MacAusland filed for divorce in October, citing an irretrievable breakdown of the nine-year marriage.
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US News Acupuncturist mom had picture-perfect life, $1.5M house before it all fell apart — now she’s accused of killing her young kids By Georgia Worrell Published May 1, 2026, 5:32 a.m. ET WELLESLEY, Mass. – Janette MacAusland’s life looked like a postcard – a beautiful family, a $1.5 million home in one of the richest suburbs in America and a successful career. But behind closed doors, her world was crumbling. Her marriage was failing and her husband was fighting her for the house and the kids. Now, the mom who seemed to have it all is accused of slaughtering her two young children – leaving even those close to her reeling about how such horror could allegedly hide in plain sight.
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