A New Hampshire mother fatally shot her husband and two of her three children before taking her own life in a murder-suicide, authorities confirmed.
Ryan Long, 48, Emily Long, 34, their son Parker, 8, and their daughter Ryan, 6, were found dead in their Madbury, N.H., home on Monday, Aug. 18. Each had suffered gunshot wounds, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. A toddler inside the home was discovered unharmed.
Autopsy results released this week confirm that Emily Long killed her husband and two children before turning the gun on herself, the state’s Attorney General said in a news release obtained by PEOPLE.
The findings show that both children died from single gunshot wounds to the head, and their deaths were ruled homicides. Ryan Long, who had reportedly been battling brain cancer, was shot multiple times, with his death also classified as a homicide. Emily died from a single gunshot wound to the head, ruled a suicide.
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“Based upon the information available at this time, it appears that in the early morning hours of Monday, August 18, 2025, Ms. Long took a handgun from the home and caused the deaths of Ryan Long and her two children, Parker and Ryan, and then took her own life immediately thereafter,” the Attorney General’s Office said.
The release also urged against drawing quick conclusions: “While investigators are becoming aware of various concerns/issues ongoing in the household at the time of the event in question, people should avoid speculating that this event was caused by a single reason or stressor.”
New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said examining motive in such cases is “very, very tricky,” according to a clip shared by ABC-affiliated station WMUR. Investigators are reviewing whether financial issues or Ryan’s health may have played a role, though Agati stressed that homicide-suicide cases are usually far more complex.
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“There’s still more information that we’re trying to gather to narrow down different things,” he said, adding that the shootings likely occurred around 5:30 a.m. Monday.
The New Hampshire Union Leader previously reported that Ryan had been diagnosed with brain cancer.
On her TikTok account, Emily described herself as a “Brain Cancer Wife,” calling the platform her “personal diary” and writing that it was “cheaper than therapy.”
In her final video, posted one day before the tragedy, she admitted she had been struggling with depression. “I’m making a point to get out of my depression and do this for my family,” she said.
