Emily Long and family via Facebook, TikTok
We now know more about Long’s life before she died.
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New revelations have added another layer of complexity to the tragic case of Emily Long, the 34-year-old mother who fatally shot her husband, two of their children, and then herself on August 18, 2025.
Alongside her public account of caring for her husband, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer, Long is now the subject of embezzlement allegations from her employer. Reports have also resurfaced about an earlier theft case from 2016, painting a picture of financial misconduct that extends far beyond the devastating events of last summer.
According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, Long killed her husband, 48-year-old Ryan Long, and their children, Parker, 8, and Ryan, 6, before turning the gun on herself. A toddler survived the incident.
The killings came just weeks after Long had shared personal struggles on TikTok, where she described herself as a “Brain Cancer Wife” and documented her husband’s glioblastoma diagnosis, the emotional and financial toll on the family, and her own declining mental health.
The alleged Wing-Itz embezzlement
As we now know, only a week before the murder-suicide, Long’s employer, Wing-Itz, a regional chain of chicken-wing restaurants in New Hampshire, accused her of stealing from the business. Derek Fisher, the restaurant’s owner, said he uncovered more than $660,000 in missing funds after noticing financial irregularities dating back to early 2023. Fisher described a trail of suspicious activity, including handwritten checks to Long, inconsistent cash deposits, and bank statements that looked incomplete or manipulated.
Fisher filed a police report on August 11, just days before the tragedy, and later told reporters that he did not intend to pursue restitution, explaining that he hoped any remaining funds would benefit Long’s surviving child. Authorities have not confirmed whether the embezzlement allegations were directly tied to the killings, but they have urged caution against reducing the case to a single cause.
The new brewpub allegations
But as the Boston Globe has now reported, Long’s integrity has come under scrutiny before. In 2016, she faced similar allegations while working at a Nantucket brewpub. The case involved approximately $11,000 in missing cash and alcohol, and Long was ultimately charged with multiple counts of check forgery in Nantucket District Court.
She was dismissed from her job, along with another employee, as the business investigated the discrepancies. However, the case never concluded. When the brewpub shut down later that year, the charges were dismissed. Taken together, the 2016 incident and the recent Wing-Itz accusations suggest a recurring pattern of financial impropriety, though neither case went to trial.
Long’s death has effectively closed the door on any prosecution, leaving investigators to piece together how financial pressure, emotional turmoil, and her husband’s illness may have intersected in the lead-up to the killings. For now, officials say the surviving child’s welfare remains the top priority.
Published: Sep 22, 2025 06:10 pm