Mother Accused of Killing Children Held Without Bail in MA Court

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A Massachusetts court heard a grim case on Thursday involving a mother accused of killing her children. This trial returned to the courtroom less than a week after the highly publicized Lindsay Clancy mistrial concluded in Boston. The defense immediately moved to dismiss charges, arguing prosecutors had not yet received official findings from the medical examiner regarding the cause and manner of death for the victims.

Prosecutors admitted they were still waiting for that critical report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Defense attorney Joseph Krowski asked the judge to drop the case or release his client, Janette MacAusland, on bail. The judge denied both requests without hesitation. MacAusland remains held without bail as the legal process continues.

Fox News Digital has contacted Mr. Krowski and the Norfolk District Attorney's Office for comment.

Janette MacAusland is forty-nine years old. She faces two counts of murder connected to the deaths of her seven-year-old son, Kai, and six-year-old daughter, Ella. Police discovered the children dead inside their family home in Wellesley during a welfare check back in April.

Unlike the Clancy case where insanity due to postpartum psychosis was central to the defense, no such strategy has been announced for MacAusland. Her trial remains in its early stages while officials wait for more medical data.

MacAusland arrived at a relative's home in Bennington, Vermont, with police describing a bloody wound on her neck. Officers there grew concerned about the safety of her children and alerted authorities in Wellesley. That alert led to the discovery of Kai and Ella inside the Massachusetts residence.

An arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital claims MacAusland confessed to killing the kids after reaching Vermont. She reportedly told her aunt she wanted "the three of us to go to God together" before later admitting to strangling the children and attempting suicide. The document further alleges she informed officers the bodies were found in her bed at the family home.

Court records reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate MacAusland's husband filed for divorce months prior to the killings. He cited an irretrievable breakdown of their marriage and sought custody of the couple's two children. MacAusland stays jailed without bail as prosecutors await the medical examiner's findings before moving forward with the case.