Emily Long murders: Orphaned boy's '12 hours' of horror as mum shoots entire family but spares toddler

A toddler orphaned when his mum shotdead her husband and their two older children before turning the gun on herself could have been left alone with their bodies for more than 12 hours, a shocking timeline reveals.

Reports coming out of the US described how Emily Long first used a gun to killher older children Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6, on Monday, August 18 at their luxury home in Madbury, New Hampshire. She then shot her husband Ryan Long, 48, several times before taking her own life with a single gun shot.

Police arrived at the property at 8.21pm that day, after receiving a call about multiple deaths at the home. The medical examiner on the case told the Daily Mail the killings were likely to have taken place 'in the early morning hours', meaning the toddler could have been left alone with his family's bodies for 12 hours or more.

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The three-year-old boy is now in the care of relatives and criminal psychologist John Eastham, from Private Investigations UK, told The Mirrorhe would most likely be in 'significant distress'.

"This is an unimaginably traumatic event for such a young child," said John. "At three years old, a boy has only a limited ability to process what has happened but children are acutely sensitive to their surroundings. Even if he cannot fully understand death, the sudden absence of his family and the distress in his environment will leave an imprint."

The expert said confusion, anxiety, disrupted sleep, clinginess, and regression in behaviour were all common following such a traumatic event.

The boy's mother's unspeakable actions came after her husband Ryan was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, with Long documenting her downward spiral on the family's TikTok accounts in the days leading up to the tragedy.

"I feel very, very lonely," she said. "I feel so anxious. I know that I need to see a therapist... but I'm not ready to acknowledge that".

Chillingly, Long went onto state that she would seek help one day and expressed "hope that I make the decision before I feel that it's too late".

The Longs' world had been shattered when the family, who lived in a luxury New England property, learned Ryan was battling glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with an average survival rate of just 12 to 15 months.

Ryan worked as a psychologist, while Long was a manager of operations at a restaurant. In social media posts, she opened up about feeling confused and overwhelmed about her husband's terminal diagnosis.

"I'm mourning my husband, I'm mourning my marriage and it's still there," said the mum, adding that she was finding solo parenting tough.

"I'm doing all the bed times and by the time I'm saying goodnight to my third kid it hits me that this is going to be every single night at some point for the rest of my life," she said. "Where I'm doing all three bedtimes alone, and then I shut the door to the final kid and I'm totally by myself and I have no one to talk about my day with."

As for the long term, our psychologist said taking the right steps now could help the boy but stressed there would be longstanding repercussions nevertheless.

"Exposure to traumatic loss at such a formative stage increases the risk of future challenges with trust, attachment, and emotional regulation," he explained. "He may struggle with questions of identity and belonging as he grows, particularly when he begins to understand the full reality of what occurred.

"Longer term, the impact will depend heavily on the support and stability he receives now. With the right care, therapy, and consistent nurturing, children can be remarkably resilient.

"Early intervention is critical. Being surrounded by consistent, loving carers, and having access to specialist trauma support as he develops, will be essential to minimise long-term harm. While this tragedy will always be a part of his story, the right support can help him build a safe, stable future despite such a devastating start in life."

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