Wellesley’s Janette MacAusland during an arraignment hearing on Wednesday at Dedham District Court entered a not guilty plea in connection with first-degree murder charges of her two young children.

The 49-year-old MacAusland was ordered held without bail. Her next hearing, for probably cause, is set for July 13. The court recommended that the defendant be held at Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee.

MacAusland was arrested on April 24 in Vermont after showing up at a relative’s home in a distraught condition. Wellesley police discovered upon making a subsequent welfare check at the MacAuslands’ home that the two children, Kai (7) and Ella (6), were deceased.

Vermont police say MacAusland confessed to strangling her children to death. Court records show the offenses are believed to have taken place on April 22.

Janette MacAusland waived her right to extradition, agreeing to be returned to Massachusetts to face charges. The investigation into the deaths is being led by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office.

MacAusland had been in the middle of divorce and custody proceedings at Dedham District Court.

The Wellesley community has rallied over the past two weeks to honor the memory of the children and to support one another.

Wellesley’s Janette MacAusland, who is being charged with murdering her two children, appeared via a live video feed on Monday afternoon in a Rutland, Vt. court, where she waived her right to extradition on a fugitive from justice charge. Under the process, she will be sent back to Massachusetts within 30 days, be booked at the Wellesley Police station, and then face charges by the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office.

Attorney Jeff Rubin, representing MacAusland at the Vermont court hearing, said: “She’s decided that the best thing is to get back to Massachusetts as soon as possible and address these charges.”

The Police Department in Bennington, Vt., about a 3-hour drive from Wellesley, was requested on Friday, April 24 to conduct a welfare check on the MacAusland children, ages 6 and 7, after the woman arrived at an aunt’s residence on Friday night “appearing highly distraught” and was reported to have a visible neck injury.

Wellesley police conducted the wellness check at the MacAuslands’ Edgemoor Avenue home and discovered on April 24 that the children were deceased. While details of the police findings have not been released, felony charges filed by the Norfolk County DA’s office cite the offenses of having taken place on April 22, two days before that.

As is typical with suspected homicide cases in this area, the Norfolk County DA’s office, with assistance from state police investigators, takes the lead.

According to a Bennington police report shared with the court and obtained by NBC5 in Vermont, MacAusland said she had strangled her children and attempted to end her own life.

MacAusland’s husband last fall filed for divorce, and the couple was in a custody dispute, according to probate court records.

Wellesley Public Schools have been providing support for students, staff, and families, with local police making themselves present as well to offer support.

In a statement issued late Monday, April 27, Superintendent David Lussier said:

Today was an emotional day for our entire district as we grieved the loss of two of our young students. By all accounts, Kai and Ella were shining lights, with close connections to children and adults that extended well beyond the Schofield Elementary School.

Over the weekend, we began organizing support and connecting with our community in preparation for the reopening of school today. On Sunday we hosted separate sessions with our student services professionals, with teachers and staff, and with families. Throughout the day, experts from inside and outside the district shared helpful guidance and answered challenging questions about how to best support students and each other in the days ahead.

This morning, we had additional counseling support in place in all 16 classrooms at Schofield as well as additional counselors at Hardy, where Kai had also been a student for two years. As difficult as today was for our schools, we are so grateful to the entire Wellesley community, which has come forward with countless offers of assistance and an outpouring of love for all who cared for Kai and Ella.

Separately, Wellesley Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman opened the board’s April 27 session with words of support for the community on behalf of the board:

We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of two young lives in our community. This is a time of profound grief for our entire community and there are no words that can fully express the sorrow we feel. We recognize that many are struggling to process what has happened and we encourage residents to look out for one another in the days ahead. Our hearts are with the loved ones, classmates, neighbors, school faculty and staff, and everyone who is feeling the weight of this loss. We are extremely grateful to our first responders and public safety officials for their swift and professional response. We are also indebted to school officials and critical incident support professionals and counselors who are supporting our students and their families, faculty, and police officers. The appropriate authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and the board supports and respects the integrity of that process. We cannot make sense of these distressing events, but we can respond with compassion, with care, and with a commitment to support one another through grief. We are reminded of how closely we are connected and how deeply we depend upon one another. May we all be the best of ourselves as we move forward in the coming days and weeks.

This post was updated on 4/28/26 to include latest information from court filings and from the Select Board.

The Wellesley Police Department is investigating an act of vandalism targeting a residence on Arden Road. On Wednesday morning, officers responded to a call regarding 20 Arden Road and found that the five-bedroom home overlooking Beebe Meadow, in the Dana Hall area of town, had been defaced.

According to police reports, the property—which was recently acquired by a new homeowner—suffered physical damage including a broken glass slider. In addition to the structural damage, the vandals spray painted the rear exterior of the white house.

A resident provided a photograph of the damage to Swellesley, however, the specific words spray-painted onto the structure were not legible. Police have not released information regarding potential suspects, or a description of the graffiti.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or suspicious activity in the Arden Road area on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning should contact the Wellesley Police at 781-235-1212.

The Boston Police Department this week said it has arrested two Wellesley residents in connection with a shooting in Dorchester during an alleged home invasion. The department worked with Wellesley and other law enforcement teams on the investigation, stemming from an incident in late January, to make the arrest on Feb. 26 at The Nines apartment complex in Wellesley. More details from the Boston Police.

(Hat tip to Universal Hub on uncovering this news.)

The latest Wellesley, Mass., arrests:

On February 11, 2026, at 2:06 p.m. Officer Carey was dispatched to Babson College to assist their campus police department with an arrest. They had taken a 22-year-old male party into custody. He was transported to the Wellesley Police Department for booking. He was afforded all rights and was later released on personal recognizance.

On February 10, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. Officer Pino was dispatched to Wellesley College to assist their campus police department with an arrest. A 57-year-old male party was transported to the Wellesley Police Department for booking. He was afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On February 8, 2026, at 5:05 p.m. Officer Lopez was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash on Worcester Street. The officers requested the operator’s driver’s license, and she indicated she could not locate it. She provided her name and date of birth and a  query of this information showed there were four active warrants issued for the female part, one issued by Dedham District Court for Larceny Under $1,200, two additional warrants issued by Dedham District Court for Shoplifting and one issued by Peabody District Court for Shoplifting. The suspect was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held without bail.

On February 7, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Officer DiCenso was dispatched to a bank in Wellesley for a report of a male party posing as one of their customers. The male party indicated he wanted to open a business account and presented several forged documents to prove the business address was in Wellesley. The male party was later identified. He was uncooperative and resisted when officers placed him in custody. He was transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held without bail.

On February 6, 2026, at approximately 9:50 p.m. Officer Drapkin was traveling on Worcester Street when he observed a Ford van and conducted a random query of the vehicle’s registration which showed the inspection sticker had expired in January 2025. Officer Drapkin stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license and registration. A query of information showed there was a straight warrant for his arrest issued by the Attleboro District Court. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $100 bail.

On January 23, 2026, at 9:20 p.m. Officer Gaffney was dispatched to Worcester Street westbound for a report of an erratic operator that was swerving between lanes, struck a curb and nearly struck a utility pole. Officer Gaffney located the Infinity SUV and noticed it did not [Read more…]

The latest Wellesley Police Dept. arrests:

On November 1, 2025, at 2:11 a.m. Officer Bean was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he observed a vehicle he estimated to be traveling approximately 80 mph in a posted 50 mph zone.  He confirmed the vehicle’s speed to be 82 mph with a radar unit.  Officer Bean stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, who indicated she did not have a driver’s license.  A query of her information confirmed she was not properly licensed to operate a motor vehicle and there was an active warrant issued by Chelsea District Court for her arrest.  She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On November 12, 2025, at 1:23 p.m. Officer Misho was on patrol on Washington Street when he observed an Infiniti sedan with dark window tint.  He queried the vehicle registration which showed the registered owner’s license was suspended.  He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license and the vehicle registration.  A query of his information showed that his license was suspended.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On November 13, 2025, at 9:54 a.m. Officer Cunningham was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street near Oakland Street when he observed a commercial vehicle with an expired registration.  A query of the vehicle registration showed that the vehicle was not properly insured, and the registered owner’s license was suspended.  Officer Cunningham stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator and owner.  The owner was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.  During the booking process a bag with a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine was located.

On November 20, 2025, at 1:37 p.m. Officer Misho was dispatched to a bank on Central Street for a report of a male party attempted to pass a fraudulent check with a fraudulent identification.  The male party was still present at the bank when Officer Misho arrived.  He was able to provide some of the account holder’s correct information, but not all of it.  The license number on the identification he provided the bank employee did not belong to the account holder or the male party.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held on $2,500 bail.

On December 1, 2025, at 11:05 a.m. Officer Misho was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street near Emerson Road when he conducted a random query of a vehicle registration which showed the vehicle’s registration was suspended.  Officer Misho stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license.  The man indicated his license was suspended, which was confirmed.  He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On December 3, 2025, at 2:51 p.m. Officer Shippole was conducting traffic enforcement on Washington Street at Abbott Road when a motorist approached her to advise her of a motor vehicle accident that had occurred on Washington Street at Laurel Ave.  Officer Shippole responded to the accident and while processing the paperwork for the operators involved Officer Shippole learned that one of the operator’s had an outstanding warrant issued by Chelsea District Court for motor vehicle related charges.  That operator was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

The latest Wellesley, Mass. police log:

On July 28, 2025, at 7:19 p.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party regarding fraudulent checks he had received.  He indicated he had been retained by a client to assist with mediation of a dispute.  The payment received was in the form of a fraudulent check.  His bank indicated they would refund the lost monies to his account.  The incident is under investigation.

On July 28, 2025, at 7:39 p.m. an officer spoke to a female reporting party who wished to report her vehicle stolen.  The reporting party stated that she believed her daughter’s boyfriend had taken the car without her authority.  The officer inquired if her daughter is authorized to use the vehicle and the reporting party indicated she was, but she was unable to get in touch with her to determine if she had the vehicle.  She was advised to attempt further to contact her daughter to determine if she had the vehicle and if she was driving the vehicle.

On July 29, 2205, at 9:42 a.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party regarding fraud.  The male party stated an unknown individual opened a PayPal account using his personal information in April 2025.  He stated he contacted his bank and had the charges reversed and later received a collection letter from PayPal for the charges.  The incident is under investigation.

On July 29, 2205, at 10:32 p.m. an officer spoke with a male reporting party regarding being struck by a scooter earlier in the day.  The reporting party stated that while walking to the Wellesley Square train station around 10:20 a.m. a male party on scooter intentionally rode his scooter into him.  He said he was struck so hard he dropped his coffee, and the male party did not stop and he smiled and grinned at him.  He was advised to contact the police department if this sort of thing happens again.

On August 1, 2025, at 7:22 p.m. an officer spoke to a female reporting party regarding an online scam.  The reporting party purchased a kitten online and paid $1,900 via Cash-App for the kitten that she had arranged for a pet transporter to pick up the kitten from the seller in Michigan and they did not show up.  When she tried to contact the seller, the number was no longer functioning.  The officer attempted to call the number as well without success and contacted the local police department in Michigan and was advised that there was nobody by the name of the seller at the address they provided.    

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On August 4, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. an officer spoke to a female reporting party regarding items stolen from their apartment.  The female party indicated that a TV, headphones, videos games and other miscellaneous items had been taken from the apartment.  The [Read more…]

The latest Wellesley Police Department arrests:

On September 13, 2025, at 1:21 a.m. Officer Drapkin was on patrol when the Wellesley Emergency Communications Center relayed that there was a motor vehicle travelling eastbound on the westbound side of Worcester Street. Officer Drapkin observed this vehicle at the Natick/Wellesley line and noticed that the vehicle was missing a rear tire and had heavy damage to the rear panel and bumper. The vehicle pulled into the breakdown lane on Worcester Street near Lexington Road. Officer Drapkin spoke with the operator,  and immediately noticed that her eyes were bloodshot and glassy and her speech was slurred and there was a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her person. She was unaware of which town she was in and indicated she was trying to get back to New Hampshire and then stated she was trying to get to Rhode Island. She agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if she was able to safely operate a motor vehicle and she was unable to successfully pass these. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On September 6, 2025, at 10:14 p.m. Officer Sullivan was dispatched to Worcester Street for a report of an erratic operator who almost struck the guardrail and had difficulty maintaining their lane of travel. Officer Sullivan stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator. The driver’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy and there was an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his person. He agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if he could safely operate a motor vehicle. He was unable to successfully pass these tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On September 4, 2025, at 6:50 p.m. Officer Garland was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he observed a BMW sedan with heavily tinted windows, and it also appeared the operator of the vehicle was holding his phone in his hand looking at the screen. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator,  and requested his license and registration. A query of his information showed there was an active warrant for his arrest issued by Brockton District Court for Assault and Battery. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on $100 bail.

On August 28, 2025, at 10:15 a.m. Officer Carey assisted the Bureau of Criminal Investigation with the service of an arrest warrant. The suspecte was taken into custody for two warrants issued by the Wrentham District Court for shoplifting and motor vehicle related charges and one warrant issued by the Attleboro District Court for motor vehicle related charges. She was transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to the Dedham District Court.

On August 26, 2025, at 3:42 a.m. Officer Bean was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he noticed a vehicle with an expired registration. Officer Bean stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license and registration. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. He also had a psilocybin mushroom in his possession. He was transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On August 19, 2025, at 12:51 p.m. Officer Carey was dispatched to a car dealership for a report of a male party who appeared to be intoxicated sitting in a vehicle. The officer made contact with the male party, who had an open container of Budweiser beer he had been drinking in the vehicle. He indicated he had just opened the beer when he parked the car. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner and held without bail.

On August 16, 2025, at 6:38 p.m. Officer Poisson was dispatched to a motor vehicle crash on Worcester Street at Oakland Street. When speaking with the operators he detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the driver of one of the vehicles. He was also unsteady on his feet and had slurred speech. He agreed to take some reasonable tests of balance and coordination to determine if he was able to safely operate a motor vehicle. He was unable to successfully pass these tests. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On August 15, 2025, at 12:25 p.m. Officer Carey assisted Officer Gover with a motor vehicle stop where an operator was driving on the wrong side of the road on Washington Street. The officers spoke with the operator, and requested his license and registration. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On August 14, 2025, at 1:27 p.m. Officer Carr was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he conducted a random query of a Porsche’s registration. The query showed that the registered owner’s license was suspended. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator and owner, and was provided with his license. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and was later released on $100 bail.

On August 11, 2025, at 12:50 p.m. Officer Misho was conducting traffic enforcement on Worcester Street when he observed a vehicle with an expired registration. He stopped the vehicle and spoke with the operator, and requested his license. A query of his information showed that his license was suspended. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later transported to Dedham District Court.

On August 9, 2025, at 11:50 a.m. Officer Sullivan was dispatched to a bank on Central Street for a report of a female party utilizing a fraudulent ID and attempting to obtain account information about an account holder. Upon arrival bank employees showed Officer Sullivan a New York State ID card with their customer’s name but it had the female party’s photo on it. The employees indicated that they keep a copy of customer ID’s on file and the woman in the bank was not the same as the account holder. Officer Sullivan spoke with the female party, later identified, and asked if she had another form of identification. She provided a credit card with the account holder’s name on it. She was unable to provide the correct address on the NY State ID and could not properly answer the security questions for the account. She later told the officers that a male party provided her with the fraudulent ID and credit card. She was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and was later released on $2,000 bail.

On August 5, 2205, at 2:40 p.m. Officer Shippole assisted Officer Cunningham at a motor vehicle stop on Worcester Street. A query of the operator’s information showed that his license was suspended. A query of the vehicle’s registration indicated that the registration was suspended and was not properly insured. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and later released on personal recognizance.

On July 29, 2025, at 6:45 p.m. Officer Sullivan was on patrol on Worcester Street when he observed a Toyota SUV traveling in front of him and conducted a random query of the vehicle’s registration which showed there were two active warrants issued by the South Boston District Court and Waltham District Court for motor vehicle related charges for the registered owner of the vehicle. He stopped the vehicle and confirmed that the operator was the registered owner. He was taken into custody, transported to the station, booked in the usual manner, afforded all rights and held without bail.

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