Emily Long, 34, is believed to have shot her husband and two of their children in a murder-suicide, leaving behind a surviving 3-year-old, according to authorities.
Police said the deaths of her husband and children were ruled homicides, while Long’s death was confirmed as a suicide.
The tragedy took place inside the family’s home in Madbury, where Long allegedly killed her husband, 48-year-old Ryan Long, who had been battling cancer, along with their two children — Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6. Their youngest child, just 3 years old, was found unharmed.
“It was a perfect family as far as we knew. It’s just shocking. We didn’t see it coming,” neighbor Bevy Ketel told The New York Times.
Investigators are still searching for a motive. However, Long’s social media activity offers possible insight. She had frequently shared posts about her mental health struggles and the challenges of coping with her husband’s terminal illness.
Ryan Long, a school psychologist at Oyster River Middle School in Durham, had reportedly been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Just days before police discovered the family dead, Emily Long posted a TikTok video in which she opened up about her depression and the impact her husband’s illness had on their household.
“I am determined to create normalcy,” she said in the video. “I have been struggling so much and really depressed and just have really become reclusive, and just wanted to be with my kids and my husband. That being said, I’m making a change and it is starting today … And I’m making a point to get out of my depression and do this for my family.”
