A Wellesley woman has been indicted on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of her two young children earlier this year. Janette MacAusland, 49, faces charges alleging that she killed her six-year-old daughter, Ella, and seven-year-old son, Kai, in their home in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

The indictment, returned by a Norfolk County grand jury on Monday, states that the deaths occurred “on or about” April 22. Following the indictment, the case has been transferred from Dedham District Court to Norfolk Superior Court, where MacAusland could face life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if convicted. MacAusland has been held without bail since her arrest, but her arraignment in Superior Court has not yet been scheduled.

Authorities say MacAusland was found distressed and confessing to the killings when she arrived at her aunt’s residence in southern Vermont on the night of April 24. According to police reports, MacAusland was emotional and hysterical, telling her aunt that she had strangled her children. After contact with law enforcement, MacAusland reportedly admitted to attempting suicide by trying to jump from the Quechee Gorge Bridge in central Vermont but was unsuccessful.

At the time of the incident, MacAusland was undergoing a contentious divorce from the children’s father, who had filed for divorce in October 2025 seeking full custody of the children and ownership of their Wellesley home. The parents had recently agreed to assign a court-appointed guardian to represent the children’s interests, with a hearing scheduled for early May.

Upon arrival by police in Bennington, Vermont, officers conducted a welfare check at the Wellesley residence and discovered the children deceased in a bedroom. The presence of blood spatter and the scene described by responding officers aligned with MacAusland’s statements. When questioned by police, MacAusland expressed that she had hoped she and her children would “go to God together,” but that her suicide attempt had failed.

Following her arrest in Vermont, MacAusland was transported back to Massachusetts and appeared in Dedham District Court, where she pleaded not guilty to the charges. Court records indicate she was found with a significant injury to her throat, reportedly self-inflicted in a suicide attempt.

The investigation and legal proceedings remain ongoing as the case moves to a higher court. Prosecutors have not announced a date for MacAusland’s arraignment in Norfolk Superior Court.