Emily Long: Toddler the only survivor of murder suicide where four found dead

A toddler is the only survivor of a suspected murder-suicide in the United States, where their mother shot and killed her husband and their two eldest children, authorities said.

The bodies of the Long family were discovered by authorities in their home in Madbury, a small town in the state of New Hampshire, on Monday.

It is believed Emily Long, 34, killed her husband, Ryan Long, 48, and their two children, Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6, before killing herself, according to The New Hampshire Department of Justice, US media have reported.

Autopsy results, released by the New Hampshire Medical Examiner on Wednesday, found Ryan Long and their two children died from gunshot wounds, New Hampshire Public Radio reported.

The toddler who was found alive suffered no physical injuries, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said in a statement on August 19. The 3-year-old is now being cared for by relatives.

A gun near the family was found by investigators, according CBS News.

A neighbour to the family, Bevy Ketel, told WBZ-TV that the news was “shocking”.

“It was a perfect family as far as we knew”, she said.

The father, Ryan Long, was well-known in the community, she said.

“He certainly touched a lot of lives. He was part of the fabric of the community and his family goes along with it.

“It’s just shocking. We didn’t see it coming.”

Days before the disaster, Emily Long posted a video on her now-private TikTok account speaking of her mental health struggles amid her husband’s brain cancer diagnosis, according to the New York Post.

Ryan Long was reportedly diagnosed with a highly aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma, the outlet reported.

The video detailed how her children were “definitely struggling”, and she had been “really depressed”, the outlet said.

Various videos on her account detailed the family’s battle with terminal cancer and thanked the local community for support, News.com.au reported.

Officials said investigators are becoming aware of the various concerns and issues happening in the household at the time of the event.

Investigators urged people to avoid speculating on the cause of the shootings.