'Devastated' friend of woman who shot terminally ill husband and kids breaks silence

A friend of a mother who fatally shot her terminally ill husband, two young children and then herself in a horrific murder-suicide has spoken of her heartbreak.

Emily Long, 34, who was found witha self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,killed her husband, Ryan Long, 48, and two children, Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6, according to the autopsy findings.

The couple's three-year-old boy,the only survivor,was found unharmed inside the residence. It appears that the orphaned toddler was left alone in the house of horrors for many hours after the shootings.

The tragedy has left friends, family and the entire community in utter disbelief asthey mourn the loss of the "beautiful" family.

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Someone claiming to be a friend of Emily's expressed their shock as they paid tribute to the couple, calling them "incredible people and parents".

Commenting on a TikTok video reporting the tragic incident, a woman, known only as @mbd327 online, penned: "I've known Emily for many years and no one that knows her or Ryan could have EVER suspected this would have happened to this beautiful family.

"They were incredible people and parents, which I know will be difficult for people to understand right now.

"They were both smart, kind and loving. Emily advocated on behalf of other peoples' children in 2021 when she reported a day care centre to the state of NH for abuse of power and corporal punishment. Our communities are heartbroken for so many reasons this week."

Hitting back at those who called Emily's acts "unforgivable," the friend added: "I am not making excuses either. This is incomprehensible, but there are so many factors and stressors in this house at this moment and none of us know what happened in those moments. Hug your kids and check on your friends."

Neighbours also expressed their disbelief, describing the Longs as "a perfect family". "It was a perfect family as far as we knew," neighbour Bevy Ketel told WBZ-TV. "It's just shocking. We didn't see it coming."

Just two days before the shootings, Emily posted a worrying TikTok video where she spoke about her struggles coping with her husband's ill-health. Ryan was diagnosed with terminal glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

In her final post, the troubled Influencer told her nearly 8,000 followers that her children were "definitely struggling" with her husband's diagnosis, but she remained determined to improving her own mental health.

The mum made a tragic final promise to her family as she vowed: "Today I decided I need to make a conscious effort to shift my mindset. I'm getting out of this depression whether I want to or not."

"I am determined to create normalcy. 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.

In separate videos, she spoke about the grief of having to tell her children that Ryan's diagnosis was terminal. She explained that her two eldest children understood the condition, and the outcome, more thoroughly than their youngest child.

On May 11, Emily uploaded a video captioned: "Want to watch someone actually fall apart before your very eyes? I swear, this cancer will be the thing that breaks me."

Authorities have since released autopsy results confirming Emily shot her husband multiple times, each child once in the head and finally herself.

Investigators said they have since learned of concerns and ongoing issues at the time of the violent rampage, but didn't elaborate.

"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 medical examiner told the Daily Mail.

"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."

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