Newly released police audio captures a haunting moment inside a Wellesley home where two children were found dead. One line from a responding officer reveals the scene they walked into.
Police dispatch audio has captured the moment officers entered a Wellesley, Massachusetts, home on April 24, 2026, and realized the severity of what they had found, according to reports. The discovery followed statements made hours earlier by their mother.
The home on Edgemoor Avenue in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where two children were found dead on April 26, 2026 | Source: Getty Images
Confession in Vermont Prompts Urgent Response
The mother and suspect, 49-year-old Janette MacAusland, went to her aunt’s home in Bennington, Vermont, where she spoke about what had happened, according to the New York Post, citing the Boston Globe.
She allegedly told her relative, “I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself,” prompting authorities in Massachusetts to alert Wellesley police, who conducted a welfare check at the family’s home about 140 miles away.
When officers arrived at the home, they found a rear door unsecured and entered the residence. Inside, they found the bodies of two children, identified as 7-year-old Ella MacAusland and 6-year-old Kai MacAusland.
Dispatch audio captured the moment officers assessed the scene. One officer reported, “There’s blood spatter everywhere.”
Emergency medical services were initially requested but later canceled, as the situation was determined to be a criminal matter.
Scene Unfolds as Father Seeks Answers
As officers worked inside the home, neighbors alerted the children’s father, Samuel MacAusland, after noticing police activity. He then called authorities seeking information about his children.
“The father is on the phone now,” a dispatcher said, later adding he was “uncontrollable on the phone” and “really needs to know what’s going on.”
Authorities have not confirmed how long the children had been dead before officers arrived. The drive from Wellesley to Bennington takes about three hours, but investigators have not established a precise timeline.
Aunt Recalls Encounter with Janette MacAusland
In Vermont, Sandra Mattison told investigators she did not recognize her niece when she first appeared at her window and initially saw only a woman with a neck injury before realizing it was Janette and bringing her inside.
She said Janette appeared “hysterical” and spoke about wanting the children “to go to God together,” but said “it didn’t work.”
As the investigation continues, neighbors say memories of the children laughing outside the family’s home have made the tragedy even harder to comprehend.
A Street Left in Shock
As previously reported, authorities said the events began around 9:30 p.m. that Friday. David Kessler, who lives nearby at 90 Overbook Drive, said he had often heard the children playing and laughing outside.
Kessler said he last heard the children’s voices less than a week earlier. Then came the moment that made the situation terrifyingly real. “Police told me, ‘It’s as bad as you can imagine, and that’s when I knew it was something serious.'”
Red flashing light on emergency vehicles. | Source: Getty Images
The Children Behind the Headlines
Ella and Kai attended Schofield Elementary School in Wellesley and were in second grade and kindergarten, respectively, according to Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent David Lussier.
According to the superintendent, a “crisis team” has offered support services for students, families, and staff as the school community reopened on Monday. “We were devastated to learn of the tragic death of two of our WPS students,” he wrote in a statement Saturday night.
“This is an unimaginable loss that will be deeply felt not just at Schofield but across our entire community. I ask that we all keep this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
An empty elementary school classroom. | Source: Getty Images
Mother Charged in Deaths of Two Children
The Norfolk district attorney’s office said Janette has been charged in connection with the deaths of Kai and Ella.
She is currently being held in a Vermont jail and is expected to appear in Bennington County Superior Court on a fugitive from justice charge. It was not immediately clear whether she had obtained legal representation.
Authorities earlier described her as “highly distraught,” and a mugshot appeared to show a wound across her throat.
Who Janette MacAusland Was Before the Allegations
Before the allegations, Janette’s life appeared stable.
She is listed as an acupuncturist affiliated with New England Integrated Health, with additional work connected to Mass General Hospital. Her academic background includes a master’s degree from the New England School of Acupuncture and a bachelor’s degree from Vermont College.
She also founded Boston Acupuncture Trauma Relief following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing — an effort aimed at helping those affected by trauma. To those close to the family, there were no obvious warning signs, with former babysitter Cale Darrah describing Janette as kind and attentive.
According to Cale, Janette was methodical about her children’s routines, carefully scheduling meals and ensuring they took their medications. She also noted a subtle impression that Janette may have felt she was carrying more of the parenting and household responsibilities:
“I kind of got the impression maybe that she felt like she was shouldering more of the stereotypical child rearing and housework kind of thing. It doesn’t really feel real at all. Not that it should happen anywhere but especially in a town like Wellesley where nothing like this ever happens.”
Divorce Proceedings Add Another Dimension to the Case
Amid the grief and confusion, one detail has emerged.