A Massachusetts acupuncturist's marriage was crumbling when she allegedly killed her two young children inside their $1.5 million family home - but she bragged about her estranged husband being a good father and partner online before things fell apart.
Janette MacAusland, 49, was in the middle of a bitter divorce battle with Samuel MacAusland, 62, when she was arrested on Saturday in connection with the horror deaths of their children, Kai and Ella.
Kai, seven, and Ella, six, were found dead inside their home in Wellesley late Friday night after Janette showed up to a family member's home in Vermont with a bloody and 'visible neck injury,' police said.
Authorities in Benington, Vermont then notified police in Massachusetts, who conducted a welfare check on the couple's home in the affluent Boston suburb - which counts among one of the wealthiest in America - and discovered the deceased children.
Their cause of death remains unknown, and Janette was taken into custody and charged with two counts of murder, the Bennington Police Department said.
Her husband Samuel filed for divorce in October 2025 last year, citing an 'irretrievable breakdown,' according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The legal battle included the couple feuding over the custody of their children and who would get control of their three-bed home in recent months.
But before their relationship turned ugly, Janette often took to social media to gloat about how much of a doting husband and father Samuel was to their kids.
Janette MacAusland, the Massachusetts mother accused of murdering her young children, shared heartwarming posts about her estranged husband and the child's father
Her husband Samuel filed for divorce in October 2025 last year, citing an 'irretrievable breakdown,' according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail
Authorities in Vermont notified police in Massachusetts, who conducted a well-being check on the couple's home in the affluent Boston suburb and discovered the deceased children
In a post from June 2021, MacAusland shared an image of Samuel lying in bed with their son and daughter as the family celebrated Father's Day.
'Sunday Slowdown. Happy Father’s Day to every dad that shows up. And this one, shows up BIGTIME,' she wrote.
In a separate post, shared just a month prior, Janette wrote, 'Destination: Date Night', next to a selfie of her and Samuel.
In February 2021, she posted a picture of her husband, captioning it: '5 years ago, in Costa Rica, BC (before children).'
The two of them got married in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in February 2016, according to the complaint for divorce document that Samuel filed last year.
Over the years, Janette has also shared pictures from their destination wedding, her pregnant with his children, and numerous images of Ella and Kai bonding as brother and sister.
The life she portrayed online is now a stark difference from the reality Janette is currently facing.
Kai, seven, and his little sister, Ella, six, were found dead inside their $1.5 million home in Wellesley
Janette was taken into custody on murder charges. She is seen in her mugshot with a visible injury to her neck
The children (pictured with their mother), one in second grade and the other in kindergarten, attended Schofield Elementary School
The investigation into the acupuncturist began Friday evening, when officers with the Bennington Police Department in Vermont were asked to conduct a welfare check at a nearby residence for a woman who appeared 'highly distraught,' the Bennington Police Department said.
Callers reportedly told police she had a visible neck injury with blood, and upon making contact, officers identified the woman as MacAusland.
Officers who attempted to speak with her said they became 'increasingly concerned' about the welfare of her children during the interaction, prompting an immediate call back to police near her Massachusetts home.
Wellesley police responded to the home around 9:50pm on Friday and made the grisly discovery.
The children, one in second grade and the other in kindergarten, attended Schofield Elementary School.
Earlier Saturday, investigators were seen entering and exiting the Wellesley home, collecting bags of evidence.
Neighbor David Kessler told The Boston Globe that he frequently heard the school-aged children playing and laughing in their backyard, which sat adjacent to his front yard, most recently less than a week ago.
He was interviewed by state and local police around 8am Saturday, where the response to his question was chilling.
In February 2021, she posted a picture of her husband, captioning it: '5 years ago, in Costa Rica, BC (before children)', reflecting a happy couple
Janette wrote: 'Destination: Date Night' next to a selfie of her and Samuel in a past social media post, presenting a happy relationship
'Police told me, "It's as bad as you can imagine,"' Kessler told the outlet. 'That's when I knew it was something serious.'
Cale Darrah, the kids' former caretaker told Boston 25 News: 'They were two beautiful children who were full of life and laughter, and it pains me to think that the world should remember them only by the way their lives were tragically ended.'
MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which has since removed her bio.
Her profile said she also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
She is being held at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility and is set to be arraigned on Monday in Rutland Superior Court.
Her case has been handed over to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office.
The Massachusetts State Police and the Wellesley Police Department are working with Vermont State Police to have the defendant transported to Massachusetts to face two counts of murder.
She was taken into custody in Vermont on a fugitive-from-justice charge after Massachusetts State Police issued an arrest warrant on two counts of murder
MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which has since removed her bio
She is being held at Marble Valley Correction Facility without bail and due in court on Monday for an arraignment hearing.
MacAusland was taken into custody in Vermont on a fugitive-from-justice charge after Massachusetts State Police issued an arrest warrant on two counts of murder.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.
The Daily Mail contacted Samuel, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, and New England Integrated Health for comment.