As a community continues to mourn following the brutal murder-suicide of wife and mother Emily Long who shot dead her husband and two children on Monday, friends close to Long have revealed the crucial factors that had impacted on her state of mind.

Long, 34, shot dead her eight year old son Parker and six year old daughter Ryan on Monday, with each child having been killed with a single shot at around 5:30am. She then turned the gun on her husband, also named Ryan, who she shot repeatedly, before turning the gun on herself and ending her life.

The couple’s youngest child, toddler James, three, survived the ordeal and was found wandering the home by police when they arrived at the $600,000 (£450,000) family home in Madbury, New Hampshire, around three hours later at 8:30am. The news comes as a girl, 8, was murdered and eyes gouged out in 'sacrifice' to 'help' a pregnant woman.

Offering an insight into what may have driven the mum of three to such an extreme, a family friend told the Daily Mail that Long had been caring for her husband, who was bedridden and suffering from terminal brain cancer . In addition, she had only recently left her job helping to run a small chicken wings chain because she was dissatisfied with it.

“Ryan was bedridden, from what I gather he was undergoing chemotherapy. He was just weak and sick', the friend said.

“Emily had been fairly open about struggling with severe depression and not knowing how to explain to the kids that they were going to lose their father.

“She had also left her job but was unhappy with her career and they were obviously struggling with money and at risk of losing the house. Emily had a network of friends around her who knew what she was going through and even so were still shocked and caught off guard.”

Given the execution style killing of her two oldest children and her husband, it still remains a mystery why she allowed James survive, something that continues to confuse the couple’s friend.

The friend said: “I don't know why she spared him. I can't make sense of it.”

With the murder now forming part of an active investigation, Assistant Attorney General Ben Agati said that investigators are currently looking into the circumstances surrounding the shooting, and added that it was “likely” that financial woes and the impending loss of her husband to cancer had been weighing heavily on her mind.

He said: “I think the big thing is to not speculate one reason why something like this would happen.

“Homicide and suicide is usually much, much more complex than just one reason. There's still more information we're trying to gather to narrow down different things.”

In the days leading up to the murders, Long had taken to social media to share her worries about the future, including her fears for what would happen when her husband passed away.

Admitting she knew things were tough, Long shared to TikTok that she “knew that [she] needed to” seek therapy.

“I feel very, very lonely. I feel so anxious... I know that I need to see a therapist, I know that I need to ask for help... but I'm not ready to acknowledge that, I think,” she confessed in a video just two weeks before the crime.

“I feel so guilty that I'm not ready to get help yet, but... it is what it is, right? I know that I will one day, and I hope that I make the decision before I feel that it's too late.”

Describing how she was feeling, Long went on to explain that she could “feel [herself] withering away” before acknowledging that “this isn't going away, this is only going to get worse.”

The worried mum also went on to express in detail how she was painfully aware that she could one day become a single parent to three children, particularly as her husband’s condition worsened.

In some of her videos, the murderess did attempt to remain positive, however she also acknowledged that she needed to “plan to be a widow, and plan to support [her] family on one income and to be a single parent of three kids and juggle all the things that come with that.”

“I'm mourning my husband, I'm mourning my marriage and it's still there. It's very confusing and it's very overwhelming.”

In her final video, shared just two days before she chose to end her own life alongside the lives of her husband and two children, Long explained that she and her children were struggling with her husband's diagnosis, but added that she was firmly committed to improving her mental health.

“All I want to do is hide under a blanket with my kids, but that isn't healthy for them and it's not healthy for me” she said.

“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.”

If this piece has affected you and you want to talk to someone, there are helplines and support groups available, many of them 24/7. Samaritans (116 123 in UK and Ireland) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.