A mother accused of killing her own children had a picture-perfect life that some of her peers always knew would come crashing down, with her cult-like obsession with spirituality now becoming clear.
Acupuncturist Janette MacAusland has been charged with two counts of murder after her son Kai and daughter Ella, aged seven and six, were found strangled to death in their family home in the Boston suburb of Wellesley on Friday night.
The mom, 49, who was in the midst of an ugly divorce with her husband, Samuel, 62, told police she killed her kids and tried to take her own life because she wanted the three of them 'to go to God together,' according to a police report obtained by The Boston Globe.
She made her interest in the cosmic world apparent online, writing: 'Surfing waves of the Zuvuya. Counting sleeps 'til enlightenment,' in her Instagram biography.
The first part refers to a Mayan concept that involves the practice of navigating inter-dimensional time periods, like the past, present, and future, to access higher levels of human consciousness.
Her words most likely are a reference to the book Surfers of the Zuvuya, written by New Age figure José Argüelles about a 'journey from the center of the earth to the outermost reaches of the galaxy.'
Her mention of enlightenment is also seemingly a nod to Mayan and New Age spirituality and life beyond the physical - referring to a shift in consciousness and cosmic awakening.
Followers of the New Age movement, from which MacAusland's eclectic beliefs seemingly derive, believe semi-divine entities like angels roam the earth and communicate with humans, and focus heavily on alternative medicine for healing.
Janette MacAusland, the Massachusetts mother accused of strangling her two children to death, presented herself as a well-rounded person, but her friends feared that facade would crack one day
She made her interest in the cosmic world apparent online, writing: 'Surfing waves of the Zuvuya. Counting sleeps 'til enlightenment,' in her Instagram biography, in what appears to be a reference to an element of Mayan spirituality
Although MacAusland portrayed herself as a successful businesswoman with a dream marriage and family, according to her former peers, they feared the 'manipulative' mother's facade might crumble one day.
'She reinvented herself as an acupuncturist and had a successful wellness center, her husband was very successful too, we all would say when she cracks from this facade it will be bad, but never imagined this,' a former classmate of hers told WNYT.
The unnamed source also recalled MacAusland being 'intelligent' and 'conniving,' the outlet reported.
MacAusland attended New England School of Acupuncture and was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which has since removed her description.
Her profile said she also worked at Massachusetts General Hospital and founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
After authorities said she allegedly killed her young children at the family's $1.5 million home in the affluent suburb, MacAusland is said to have dashed to her aunt's home in Vermont.
Once she was there, the 'hysterical' mother banged on her relative's window and confessed to the gruesome crime, the police report detailed.
She also admitted to her aunt, Sandra Mattison, that she attempted to take her own life.
'I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself,' a police report from the Bennington Police Department that was reviewed by The Globe.
'I wanted the three of us to go to God together but it didn't work,' MacAusland added, per the report.
After police say she allegedly killed her young children at the family's $1.5 million home in the affluent suburb, MacAusland is said to have dashed to her aunt's home in Vermont, according to a police report
She is accused of killing her children while in the middle of an ugly divorce with her husband, Samuel MacAusland
She was seen with a visible bloody neck injury in her mugshot.
After hearing her chilling confession, authorities in Vermont immediately notified police in Massachusetts, who conducted a welfare check on the couple's home and discovered the deceased children, the report stated.
She attended a court hearing in Rutland, Vermont, on Monday, donning a green anti-suicide smock. She also covered her face at times and appeared emotional.
She attended a court hearing in Rutland, Vermont, on Monday, donning a green anti-suicide smock
During the hearing, she agreed to be extradited back to Massachusetts to face the murder charges, the Globe reported.
Samuel, who's the son of an affluent orthopedic surgeon, filed for divorce from MacAusland in October 2025, citing an 'irretrievable breakdown,' according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.
The bitter 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.
Earlier this month, the couple agreed to have a court-appointed guardian look after the best interests of their children, court records showed.
An appointment to start this process was scheduled just days before they died, records stated.
Before their marriage took an ugly turn, MacAusland gloated about her husband online, calling him a good partner and father to their kids.
The children, one in second grade and the other in kindergarten, attended Schofield Elementary School
A growing memorial has since appeared outside the family home, with locals leaving flowers, stuffed animals, and heartfelt messages in honor of Kai and Ella
In February 2021, she posted a picture of her husband, captioning it: '5 years ago, in Costa Rica, BC (before children).'
The pair got married in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in February 2016, according to the divorce complaint document that Samuel filed last year.
But a decade later, the life that she shared online is starkly different from her new reality.
Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing.
The Daily Mail contacted Samuel, MacAusland's attorney, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, and New England Integrated Health for comment.