Gruesome reason acupuncturist mom strangled her two children to death in her bed and then tried to kill herself is revealed in damning police report

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 16:14, 28 April 2026 | Updated: 16:25, 28 April 2026 A deranged acupuncturist mother said she strangled her two children to death and tried to take her own life because she wanted the three of them 'to go to God together,' according to a police report.  Janette MacAusland, 49, admitted to killing her seven-year-old son Kai and six-year-old daughter Ella in a bed at the family's $1.5 million home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Friday night, the report obtained by The Boston Globe detailed.  The 'hysterical' mother then raced over to her aunt's home in Vermont, banged on the window, and confessed to the gruesome crime before her relative called the police, the report stated.  'I strangled them and then I tried to kill myself,' she told an officer with the Bennington Police Department.  'I wanted the three of us to go to God together but it didn't work,' MacAusland added, per the report.  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 in the affluent Boston suburb and discovered the deceased children. MacAusland, who was in the middle of a bitter divorce with her husband Sam when she allegedly killed their kids, was arrested and charged with two counts of murder.  Janette MacAusland, 49, admitted to strangling her seven-year-old son Kai and six-year-old daughter Ella to death in a bed in their family home in Wellesley, Massachusetts, on Friday night Authorities in Vermont immediately notified police in Massachusetts, who conducted a welfare check on the couple's home in the affluent Boston suburb and discovered the deceased children. Ella and Kai (pictured together) both attended Schofield Elementary School 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.  During the hearing, she agreed to be extradited back to Massachusetts to face the murder charges, the Globe reported.  Sandra Mattison, MacAusland's aunt, told police she did not initially recognize her niece when she arrived on her doorstep.  After realizing who it was, she let the mother in before MacAusland told her aunt that she killed her kids and tried to take her own life, per the report.  Mattison specifically recalled seeing the 'dried' blood on her niece's neck before MacAusland revealed she tried to harm herself.  She then questioned where her husband Samuel was and MacAusland said 'he was at the lake.'  'I asked her where her children were and she told me that she had killed them,' Mattison said in her police report, The Globe reported.  Her aunt also revealed that MacAusland tried to jump from Vermont's Quechee Gorge Bridge, but couldn't go through with it, Mattison's statement continued.  Samuel filed for divorce from MacAusland in October 2025, citing an 'irretrievable breakdown,' according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Mail.  MacAusland was in the middle of a bitter divorce with her husband Sam MacAusland when she allegedly killed their kids. They are seen together in 2016 MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist with New England Integrated Health, which has since removed her bio In early April, the couple agreed to have a court-appointed guardian look after the best interests of their children, court records showed.  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.   Janette was taken into custody on murder charges. She is seen in her mugshot with a visible injury to her neck 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 two of them got married in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, in February 2016, according to the divorce complaint document that Samuel filed last year.  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. Sam's occupation remains unclear, but according to records reviewed by The Globe, his father, William 'Bill' MacAusland Jr., was a distinguished orthopedic surgeon in the Boston area.  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 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.   Authorities said the investigation remains ongoing. The Daily Mail contacted Samuel, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, and New England Integrated Health for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. 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