Background: The home in which Janette MacAusland's two children, ages 6 and 7, were found dead (YouTube/WCAX). Inset: Janette MacAusland (LinkedIn).
A mother of two young kids found dead inside their Massachusetts home was reportedly locked in a custody battle with their father.
Janette MacAusland, 49, is charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of her children, 6-year-old Ella and 7-year-old Kai, Boston Fox affiliate WFXT reported. According to the Norfolk County District Attorney's office, police received a call for a well-being check on family members at a home on Edgemoor Avenue in Wellesley around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
When authorities responded, they discovered the two deceased children inside the home.
It was not immediately clear who made the call requesting the welfare check.
MacAusland was reportedly arrested in Bennington, Vermont, on a fugitive from justice charge. She is expected to appear in court on Monday before being extradited to Massachusetts to face the murder charges.
MacAusland and her husband, Samuel MacAusland, had been locked in a custody battle since divorce proceedings started in October, WFXT reported. Samuel MacAusland initially filed for divorce, and Janette MacAusland filed a counterclaim in November. Just last week, a guardian ad litem was appointed to protect the children's best interests during the case.
A former babysitter for the family told the station that Kai and Ella were "full of life and laughter." A neighbor described the family as "nice people … always kind, always cheerful."
Janette MacAusland was listed as an acupuncturist at New England Integrated Health, the Boston Globe reported. As of Sunday afternoon, her profile was removed from the company's website.