Authorities investigating the death of four people inside a home in Madbury on Monday now believe Emily Long fatally shot her husband and two young children before turning the gun on herself.
Autopsy results released Wednesday by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner found that Long, 34, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Her husband Ryan Long, 48, and two of the couple’s children, Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6, died from gunshot wounds.
“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 N.H. Department of Justice said.
The killings have rattled Madbury, a rural town of around 2,000 residents located near Durham, where Ryan Long worked as a school psychologist.
“The Oyster River Cooperative School District community is heartbroken by the tragic loss of four community members,” Dr. Robert Shaps, the superintendent, said in a statement. “We extend our deepest sympathies to all those impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”
State Police responded to the family’s home after receiving a 911 call around 8:20 p.m. Monday. Inside, troopers discovered four bodies. The couple’s third child, identified only as a toddler, was found unharmed in the home.
In recent months, Emily Long posted dozens of videos on TikTok documenting her husband’s diagnosis with glioblastoma, an aggressive and often fatal brain tumor. In the videos, which are no longer public, Long described Ryan’s surgery earlier this year, as well as rounds of chemotherapy and other treatments. She also discusses her mental health and anticipatory grief at length in the videos, as well as the impact of Ryan’s physical decline on their children.
The final video, posted Sunday, showed Emily Long talking to the camera while driving. “Our kids are definitely struggling,” she said, her eyes hidden behind mirrored sunglasses. Long then described a planned get-together that day with neighborhood friends, and the need for her children to socialize.
The Attorney General’s office said that “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.” The agency said it would not immediately release any more information about the incident.
According to an online biography, Ryan Long was a psychologist at Oyster River Middle School for the past nine years. He received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in counseling from the University of New Hampshire.
Emily Long also graduated from UNH with a degree in hospitality management, according to her LinkedIn account, and attended Oyster River High School.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
