WELLESLEY, Mass. – Janette MacAusland appeared to lead an idyllic life with her family in a $1.5 million home located in a prestigious suburb, complemented by a thriving career.
However, beneath this facade, her personal life was unraveling. Her marriage was deteriorating, and her husband was embroiled in a battle with her over custody of their children and ownership of their home.
Tragically, MacAusland, once perceived to have everything, now faces accusations of murdering her two young children, leaving those close to her in disbelief that such a tragedy could unfold unnoticed.
“When I heard the news, it was probably the biggest shock of my life,” a friend of MacAusland confided to The Post.
“I couldn’t process it. I’m still trying to reckon with it. It doesn’t make sense. There was nothing that would point to something like this.
“I think I’m going to be trying to reckon with it for a long time.”
Describing MacAusland as “gentle, kind, with-it and personable,” the friend, who wished to remain anonymous, expressed disbelief at the allegations.
“She was an acupuncturist, meditation teacher,” the friend said.
“She talked about her kids like any normal mother would. It really seemed like she loved them.”
Just six months ago, MacAusland was engaged in parent-teacher meetings for her two children, Kai, 7, and Ella, 6.
This is a stark contrast to the events authorities claim unfolded last week, when MacAusland reportedly confessed to strangling her children in their home.
“I was completely shocked,” said the source, who found out about MacAusland’s arrest online while she was at her aunt’s house in Vermont.
The source noted the difficulty of reconciling the woman they knew with the person in MacAusland’s mugshot, which showed severe cuts on her throat.
They added that “nothing seemed off” the last time they spoke, about two weeks ago.
Nonetheless, there were aspects of MacAusland’s life she kept hidden, such as her estranged husband and an intense divorce and custody battle.
She and her husband, Samuel, 62, were going through a contentious split after he filed for divorce last October, citing an “irretrievable breakdown” of their nine-year marriage.
Both were seeking full custody of the children and control of their suburban home.
Photos from happier times show the couple smiling together on date nights and enjoying time with their kids.
MacAusland once shared a touching image of her husband in bed with the kids, captioned: “Happy Father’s Day to every dad that shows up. And this one, shows up BIGTIME!”
Their legal battle reportedly escalated just before the tragic events. On April 16, the parents requested a third party to evaluate custody, which led to a guardian being appointed on April 21, one day before the children were killed, according to authorities.
To outsiders, the family appeared idyllic.
“Never did I enter the house and feel like there was anything that was extremely off,” said the family’s former babysitter, Cale Darrah, to the Boston Globe.
However, the seemingly perfect image allegedly crumbled last week.
Two days following the children’s deaths, MacAusland was found at her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, with a severe neck wound, confessing, “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself.”
In Wellesley, police discovered the children’s bodies, a scene that reportedly devastated their father.
Samuel, described as “uncontrollable” when speaking to dispatchers, found immense joy in fatherhood, family friend Albert Bowley told the Globe.
“It was like a piece of life he finally fulfilled,” Bowley stated, adding that Kai and Ella were “cute as a button.”
On Wednesday, approximately 500 mourners gathered at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Wellesley to remember the young victims.
Parents and children alike expressed their sorrow and confusion, with one 11-year-old telling the Globe she was “shocked” and “felt a little sick” upon hearing of the tragedy.
A moving tribute of flowers, candles, and stuffed animals, including a large teddy bear holding a sign with “Kai and Ella” in children’s handwriting, adorned the front lawn of the family’s home.
MacAusland, associated with New England Integrated Health as an acupuncturist, is in custody in Vermont facing a fugitive from justice charge.
During a court appearance on Monday, she agreed to be extradited to Massachusetts, where she faces two murder charges.
Her attorney, Jeff Rubin, reportedly stated that MacAusland “decided that the best thing is to get back to Massachusetts as soon as possible and address these charges.”
Her next court appearance in Vermont is scheduled for May 11.
