A Wellesley mother is accused of killing her two children after a welfare check that began with police contact in Vermont.

WELLESLEY, Mass. — A mother accused of killing her two young children during a bitter custody dispute remains held without bail after police found the children dead inside their Wellesley home on April 24.

Janette R. MacAusland, 49, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 7-year-old Kai MacAusland and 6-year-old Ella MacAusland. Prosecutors say the children were found in the family’s Edgemoor Avenue home after police in Bennington, Vermont, alerted Wellesley authorities to check on them. The case has drawn attention because the killings came amid a divorce and custody fight involving MacAusland and her estranged husband, Samuel MacAusland, and because the first call for help came from another state. The case is still in an early stage, with many details expected to emerge through court filings and hearings.

The first public timeline began just after 9 p.m. on April 24 in Bennington, where police said they were contacted by a local resident and then became worried about the welfare of two children in Massachusetts. Vermont officers had contact with MacAusland after she arrived at a relative’s home, according to police and court accounts. Wellesley officers were asked to go to the Edgemoor Avenue address, a residential street near the Natick line. When officers entered the home, they found Kai and Ella dead. Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office later obtained a warrant charging MacAusland with murder. The district attorney’s office said Wellesley police, Massachusetts State Police and Vermont authorities worked together as the investigation crossed state lines in its first hours.

Prosecutors have said MacAusland made statements in Vermont about what happened to the children. In court accounts and police affidavits described by local news outlets, authorities said she told a relative she had killed them and had tried to kill herself. Reports have also said she was injured when officers encountered her in Vermont and was taken to a hospital before the case was brought into court. Those alleged statements are likely to become a major part of the criminal case, but they are not the only evidence prosecutors must present. Investigators also must rely on autopsy findings, crime scene evidence, medical records, witness statements and any records showing the children’s movements before they were found. Defense attorneys may later ask a judge to review how any statements were obtained.

The custody dispute forms the clearest public backdrop to the killings. Samuel MacAusland filed for divorce in October, and court records described disputes over custody, parenting time and control of the family home. Local reports said both parents were seeking custody of Kai and Ella and that a neutral professional had been appointed to investigate and make recommendations shortly before the deaths. Prosecutors have not said that a single family court order caused the killings. At this stage, the custody case is part of the known context, while the murder case will turn on whether prosecutors can prove MacAusland killed the children with the mental state required for first-degree murder. Family court records may help explain the pressure around the household, but they do not by themselves decide the criminal case.

The criminal process moved through two states before MacAusland appeared in a Massachusetts courtroom. She was first held in Vermont on a fugitive from justice charge while Massachusetts authorities prepared to bring her back. She later waived extradition, clearing the way for her transfer to Norfolk County. At her May 6 arraignment in Dedham District Court, a not guilty plea was entered on her behalf. Courtroom accounts described her as emotional and quiet as prosecutors summarized the allegations. The judge ordered her held without bail, which is common in first-degree murder cases in Massachusetts. Her next scheduled hearing is July 13. That hearing is expected to focus on procedure rather than a final decision on guilt, and no trial date has been announced.

Kai and Ella were students at Schofield Elementary School, and their deaths quickly became a school community tragedy as well as a criminal case. Superintendent David Lussier told families that grief support would be available for students and staff after the loss. Former caregivers and neighbors described the children as happy, active and affectionate. A former babysitter remembered Ella as outgoing and Kai as sweet and shy, with interests that included outdoor play, scooters, books, planes and trucks. Those descriptions offered a fuller picture of the children beyond the court file, where they appear most often by age and name. The school response also showed how far the deaths reached beyond the home, touching classmates, parents, teachers and families who knew the children through everyday routines.

The community’s grief continued after the first police updates. Funeral arrangements were set for May 16 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wellesley, where mourners gathered to remember the siblings. Local accounts described a service focused on the children’s lives and the sudden hole left in their family, school and neighborhood. Their deaths also prompted a careful public response from officials, who released only limited facts while the case was active. The Norfolk District Attorney’s Office directed further information through official channels, and police have not released a complete timeline of the children’s final day. In the days after the deaths, neighbors described a quiet street changed by police vehicles, news crews and flowers, while many families tried to protect children from the hardest details.

Several core questions remain unanswered in public. Authorities have not released full autopsy reports, the exact time they believe the children died, the complete list of evidence removed from the home or the defense theory. They have not said whether digital messages, custody filings or medical evaluations will be introduced later. MacAusland is presumed innocent unless convicted. The next phase is expected to involve evidence exchange, scheduling and possible motions over statements made in Vermont. For Samuel MacAusland and the Wellesley community, the court calendar now runs beside mourning for two children who had been part of daily school life. The case could also require coordination between witnesses in Vermont and Massachusetts as prosecutors build the record for future hearings.

Investigators also face the task of separating what was known before April 24 from what became clear only afterward. Divorce files can show conflict, but they do not show every private conversation inside a home. School records can show attendance and routine, but they do not explain a parent’s intent. Police statements can describe what officers found, but they often leave out medical and forensic details until later hearings. That gap between public knowledge and courtroom proof is one reason officials have released information slowly. It also means the case may change in shape as records are filed and witnesses are called.

The case has also raised difficult questions for people who followed the family court dispute from afar. Public reports have focused on the timing of custody activity and the deaths, but court systems often move through steps that are not simple from the outside. A neutral custody reviewer can gather information, interview parents and make recommendations, but judges make decisions based on filings and hearings. Prosecutors have not accused any court official of wrongdoing. The criminal record now centers on MacAusland’s alleged acts, while the broader history may be used to explain what pressures surrounded the family.

The next scheduled hearing is July 13 in Massachusetts, where prosecutors and defense lawyers are expected to continue shaping the pretrial record. MacAusland remains jailed without bail, and no other suspect has been named.

Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.