A New Hampshire mom shot and killed her husband and two children before turning the gun on herself following his cancer diagnosis.
Emily Long, 34, shot and killed her husband, Ryan Long, 48. She also killed two of her children, son Parker, 8, and their daughter Ryan, 6, with a single gunshot to the head, the Boston Globe reported. Long then shot herself, leaving a toddler in the home unharmed.
A cousin told the newspaper that Ryan Long was a school psychologist at Oyster River Middle School in Durham and had recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer, a cousin told the Globe Tuesday.
"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," a statement from New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella says.
The relative told the Globe that the children knew the dad was receiving treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital and seemed to have support.
"This is why we're just all so in shock. We have a lot of family, a lot of friends, that would do anything for them because, you know, they would do it, too," the cousin said.
The Daily Mail reported that Emily Long's social media posts leading up to the shooting discussed her mental health.
"I feel very, very lonely. I feel so anxious ... I know that I need to see a therapist, I know that I need to ask for help ... but I'm not ready to acknowledge that, I think," she said according to the outlet. "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."
