She showed up covered in blood at her aunt’s door, then told her where the children were and why she had gone there first

Janette MacAusland, a 49-year-old acupuncturist, is currently being held without bail at the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Vermont after allegedly killing her two young children. The case came to light on the night of Friday, April 25, when MacAusland arrived at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, covered in blood and with a gash on her neck.

As detailed by the Unilad, MacAusland’s aunt, Sandra Mattison, initially did not recognize her niece when she arrived at her window. Once Mattison let her inside and saw the severity of her condition, she called police to request a welfare check. During that time, MacAusland told her aunt that she had killed her children, seven-year-old Kai and six-year-old Ella, and that she had attempted to take her own life because she wanted the three of them to go to God together. She also mentioned having driven to the Quechee Gorge Bridge in central Vermont earlier that day intending to jump, but said she could not bring herself to do it.

When officers arrived, MacAusland handed them a holiday photo of her children. Asked if the children were safe, she shook her head. She later told police, “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself,” and said she had left them in her bed at their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Bennington police contacted authorities in Wellesley, and officers arrived at the family home at approximately 9:50 PM, where they discovered the bodies of both children.

The custody dispute in the days before made the timing all the more grim

MacAusland appeared via video in Rutland Superior Court on Monday, April 27, where she waived her right to challenge extradition to Massachusetts. She is now facing two counts of murder. During the virtual appearance, she wore a suicide prevention jumpsuit and confirmed she understood the proceedings. She remains in custody as a fugitive from justice pending the completion of the extradition process.

The case is rooted in a contentious divorce. MacAusland’s estranged husband, Samuel MacAusland, had filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage. The couple, who married in February 2016 in Costa Rica, had been fighting over custody of the children and control of their family home. Just days before the children were found dead, the parents had signed a joint motion on April 16 agreeing to have a third party investigate and provide custody recommendations. Amid ongoing concerns about children’s safety in family disputes, a separate case in Texas saw a Southlake mayor resign over oversight failures involving minors.

A memorial has taken shape outside the family’s home on Edgemoor Avenue in Wellesley, where neighbors have left flowers, stuffed animals, and signs. The school district’s superintendent, David Lussier, issued a statement on Monday noting that Kai and Ella were shining lights within the school community whose absence is being deeply felt by students and staff.

Before this, MacAusland was a respected professional. She worked as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health and had previously been employed at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was also known for founding the Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief group following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and had spent time volunteering in India to help children with various health conditions.

A friend, Eric Clark, who attended acupuncture school with her, said MacAusland had reached out to him last summer seeking advice about her marriage, describing her situation as one where she felt trapped and miserable. He said he had encouraged her to speak with her lawyer. The case draws broad attention to the ways marital conflict can turn fatal, as seen in other recent cases including one where a police captain’s wife allegedly orchestrated a murder-for-hire against her estranged husband.

Norfolk County prosecutors have requested that the police report regarding the killings be impounded until late October, a motion a judge has granted.