A Massachusetts woman accused of killing her two young children has asked a court to dismiss the case or release her from custody as prosecutors continue to await an official determination of how the children died.
Janette MacAusland, 49, of Wellesley, is facing two murder charges over the deaths of her children, six-year-old Ella MacAusland and seven-year-old Kai MacAusland.
The children were found dead at the family’s Wellesley home on April 24, 2026.
MacAusland was later arrested after she went to a relative’s home in Vermont.
Defence Seeks Dismissal
During a court appearance on Thursday, September 10, MacAusland’s lawyer, Joseph Krowski, asked that the charges be dismissed.
Alternatively, he sought her release on bail, arguing that prosecutors did not yet have sufficient information to justify continuing to hold her.
Prosecutors, however, told the court that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had not completed its determination of the cause and manner of the children’s deaths.
The delay has affected the progress of the case.
According to court reports, prosecutors said a grand jury had been convened but would need to reconvene after the medical examiner provides the necessary findings.
Judge Rejects Release Request
The judge rejected the defence request and ordered MacAusland to remain in custody without bail.
The case is expected to return to court in October.
MacAusland has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.
The case has attracted wider attention because it comes shortly after a mistrial in another Massachusetts child-killing case involving Lindsay Clancy.
Krowski has argued that the circumstances surrounding his client’s case require careful consideration of mental-health issues, while emphasising that the two cases are not identical.
Custody Dispute Before Deaths
Court records indicate that MacAusland and the children’s father had been involved in a divorce and custody dispute before the deaths.
Her husband had filed for divorce several months before the incident and was seeking custody of the children.
The legal proceedings surrounding the family are expected to form part of the broader context considered as the criminal case progresses.
However, the allegations against MacAusland remain matters for the courts to determine.
The next stages of the case are expected to depend partly on the medical examiner’s findings and prosecutors’ ability to establish the evidence required to move the charges forward.