Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and child death that some readers may find upsetting
There was tragically only one survivor in what is believed to be a horrific murder suicide – a toddler whose two siblings, father and mother were sadly all found dead.
Authorities say mum-of-three Emily Long had killed her husband Ryan and their children Parker, eight, and Ryan, six.
In the lead-up to his death, Ryan had been diagnosed with cancer, with his wife turning to TikTok to vent about the sad health news.
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Dubbing herself ‘Brain Cancer Wife’ in her bio, she said she used the account as a ‘personal diary’ as it was ‘cheaper than therapy’.
Just one day before the killings, she admitted she felt in a ‘rut’ because of her husband’s diagnosis, and was depressed because of their home life.
“I am determined to create normalcy,” she said.
“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.”
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A post-mortem has now determined what happened that day, concluding that Emily shot her terminally ill husband and two eldest children, before turning the gun on herself.
John M Formella, the New Hampshire Attorney General, described the autopsy results in a statement, saying: “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.
“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.”
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Formella said it appears that, in the ‘early morning hours of Monday, August 18, 2025’, Emily took a handgun from home and ‘caused the deaths of Ryan Long and her two children, Parker and Ryan, and then took her own life immediately thereafter’.
“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,” he added.
New Hampshire Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said investigators were looking into the possibility of ‘money’ or ‘the health situation’ as being reasons for the shootings, stating: "I think the big thing is to try not to speculate that there's any one reason why something like this would happen. Homicide and suicide is usually much, much more complex than just one reason.”
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He went on to say the shooting was likely to have occurred at 5:30am on Monday morning, and added: "There's still more information that we're trying to gather to narrow down different things.”
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.
Topics: US News
Jess Hardiman