Boston Woman Arrested on Suspicion of Killing 2 Children Amid Custody Battle

A woman has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her two children in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The incident occurred amid a legal dispute over the children's custody. Janette MacAusland, 49, appeared at a family home in Bennington, Vermont, after her husband filed for divorce. Police responded to a welfare check request at MacAusland's Wellesley, Massachusetts residence, where the two children were found deceased.

MacAusland was subject to warrants in Massachusetts for two counts of murder. She is currently being held at the Marble Valley Correctional Facility in Vermont and is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday afternoon in Rutland Criminal Court.

Her husband, Samuel MacAusland, filed for divorce in October after nine years of marriage. Court records indicate that their son Kai, 7, and daughter Ella, 6, were students at Schofield Elementary School in Wellesley, and that custody issues were part of the divorce proceedings.

School officials at Schofield Elementary expressed profound sadness upon hearing the news of the students' deaths. The school is preparing support plans for students, staff, and parents ahead of the school's reopening on Monday.