In the quiet town of Madbury, New Hampshire, a tragedy unfolded on August 18, 2025, leaving a community in shock and mourning. Ryan Long, a 48-year-old Caucasian male, was found deceased in his home on Moharimet Drive. The grim discovery also included the bodies of his wife, Emily Long, 34, and two of their children, 8-year-old Parker and 6-year-old Ryan.
Miraculously, a third child, a toddler, was found unharmed amidst the devastating scene.
Subsequent investigation by law enforcement painted a heart-wrenching picture of the events that transpired. Authorities have characterized the incident as a murder-suicide. It is believed that in the early morning hours, Emily Long used a handgun to fatally shoot her husband and their two older children before taking her own life. Autopsies later confirmed that Ryan Long died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his death was ruled a homicide. Emily Long's cause of death was a single gunshot wound, and her manner of death was determined to be suicide. The two children also died from single gunshot wounds, and their deaths were likewise ruled homicides.
As the community grappled with the horrific news, details emerged about the family's life that hinted at underlying struggles. Ryan Long, a school psychologist in the Oyster River Cooperative School District, had been battling brain cancer. His wife, Emily, had documented her experience as a "Brain Cancer Wife" on a TikTok account, which she described as her "personal diary." In a video posted just a day before the tragedy, she spoke of being in a "rut" and feeling depressed due to her family's situation. Neighbors, however, described the family as seemingly normal and were shocked by the violent turn of events, recalling the children recently running a lemonade stand. Investigators have cautioned against attributing the tragedy to a single cause, stating that there were various issues within the household they were looking into. In the end, no arrests were made as the sole suspect was also deceased.
