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Topics: US News
Jess Hardiman
Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and child death that some readers may find upsetting
A mum who dubbed herself ‘Brain Cancer Wife’ took to TikTok as a way of working through her husband’s terminal diagnosis, before ultimately killing him, their two children, and herself in a gruesome murder-suicide.
Emily and Ryan Long were found dead in their Madbury, New Hampshire, home alongside their children, Parker, eight, and Ryan, six. The couple’s third child, a three-year-old, was found alive and uninjured.
A post-mortem concluded that Emily shot her husband and two eldest children, before turning the gun on herself, with John M Formella, the New Hampshire Attorney General, saying in a statement: “Chief Medical Examiner Jennie V. Duval conducted autopsies on both adults, Ryan Long and Emily Long. Dr. Duval determined that Mr. Long’s cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds, and his manner of death is homicide.
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“Dr. Duval determined that Emily Long’s cause of death was a single gunshot wound of the head, and her manner of death is suicide.”
In the lead-up to the tragic deaths, Emily had turned to TikTok to unpack Ryan’s terminal cancer diagnosis, describing herself in her bio as a ‘Brain Cancer Wife’.
Her account soon became her ‘personal diary’, as it was ‘cheaper than therapy’. Just one day before the murder-suicide, she spoke about how the family was struggling.
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She said in a video: “Today I decided I need to make a conscious effort to shift my mindset. I'm getting out of this depression whether I want to or not. I am determined to create normalcy... I’m trying to get myself out of the rut, our kids are definitely struggling, and now I’m starting to notice some changes in our 3-year-old.”
She admitted she wanted to ‘hide under the blanket’ with her kids, but acknowledged it ‘isn’t healthy’ for either them or her.
In other posts, Emily had also said she felt ‘very, very lonely’ and ‘anxious’, finding the situation ‘overwhelming’.
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“I know that I need to see a therapist, I know that I need to ask for help,” she said.
“I feel so guilty that I’m not ready to get help yet, but... it is what it is, right? I know that I will one day, and I hope that I make the decision before I feel that it’s too late.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Or, if you're experiencing distressing thoughts and feelings, the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is there to support you. They're open from 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year. Their national number is 0800 58 58 58 and they also have a webchat service if you're not comfortable talking on the phone.