MADBURY, NH – The New Hampshire woman who shot and killed her husband and two children before taking her own life last month allegedly stole over $660,000 from her employer in the two years leading up to the tragic incident, according to police reports and business owner statements.
Emily Long, 34, fatally shot her husband Ryan Long, 48, and their two children – 8-year-old Parker and 6-year-old Rylyn – at their Madbury home on August 18. A third child, a toddler, was found alive and uninjured. Each victim suffered gunshot wounds in what authorities are calling a murder-suicide.
Derek Fisher, owner of the Wing-Itz restaurant chain’s Hampton location, filed a police complaint on August 11 alleging that Long, who served as the company’s operations manager, had embezzled approximately $600,000 to $660,000 from the business over a two-year period.
The embezzlement discovery came to light on June 18, when Fisher and his bookkeeper noticed numerous checks from business accounts had been written to Long and deposited into her personal bank account. Wing-Itz operates three chicken restaurant locations in New Hampshire’s Seacoast area.
Police records show the initial embezzlement report was filed seven days before Long’s body was discovered, suggesting investigators were already pursuing the financial crimes case when the murder-suicide occurred.
Ryan Long, a school psychologist at Oyster River Middle School in Durham, had been battling an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma since receiving his diagnosis in late April. However, the alleged embezzlement appears to have begun in 2023, predating his cancer diagnosis by several months.
Authorities emphasize that multiple factors typically contribute to such tragic events, and investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the case. The surviving child has been placed in protective care.
Fisher has indicated he’s no longer interested in recovering the stolen funds, stating that any remaining money should go to the surviving toddler. “Anything that’s left should go to that child. He deserves all of it,” Fisher told local media outlets.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office continues investigating the murder-suicide while Hampton police pursue the embezzlement case. No additional details about the financial crimes or the family’s circumstances have been released as the investigation remains ongoing.
Mental health experts note that cases where mothers are the perpetrators in family murder-suicides are extremely rare compared to similar incidents involving fathers.
