A Reading, Massachusetts, mother of three was found shot dead in her kitchen, and her 22-year-old son was arrested in Vermont hours later, on Thursday, October 8.
Story Highlights
- Andria Hanafin, 49, was found dead of a gunshot wound in the family home on Center Avenue in Reading.
- The county’s top prosecutor says the shooting likely began as a domestic dispute in a home where her son, Ryan Hanafin, kept several guns registered to him.
- Vermont State Police arrested Ryan Hanafin in Warren, Vermont, and a judge ordered him held without bail as a fugitive from justice.
- Massachusetts prosecutors filed 16 gun charges against him; no charge in his mother’s death had been announced as of Friday morning.
What Officials Say Happened in Reading
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, the chief prosecutor for the county that includes Reading, said the shooting appears to have started as a domestic dispute. Her son Ryan Hanafin, the couple’s oldest child, had several guns registered to him and got a license to carry a gun in 2024. Reading Police Chief David Clark said there was no reason at the time to turn that application down. The DA called the killing shocking and tragic and said there was no significant history of police calls to the home.
Her husband, Matthew Hanafin, 48, called 911 at about 12:38 a.m. Thursday after he came home from work and found her in the kitchen. Officials believe she was killed Wednesday night. The couple’s 13-year-old son was in the home and was not hurt. He had last seen his mother at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Their 19-year-old daughter was away at college.
Why Police Went Looking for Him
Matthew Hanafin told investigators he had not spoken with his older son since Wednesday morning. Ryan Hanafin was seen in Tewksbury Wednesday night driving a black 2010 Dodge Charger with Massachusetts plate 2PSY15. Police named him a person of interest, which means someone they want to question about a case. It is not a charge. Chief Clark warned that he should be considered potentially armed and dangerous and asked people not to approach him. Officials have not said what else links him to the shooting.
Arrest in Vermont and a Fugitive Hold
Vermont State Police found him Thursday afternoon on Route 100 near the Sugarbush Access Road in Warren, more than 170 miles from Reading. He was taken into custody without incident. A Vermont court ordered him held without bail on a charge of being a fugitive from justice. That is a hold one state uses to keep a person who is wanted in another state until he can be sent back to face the case there. He was taken to the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury.
He was set to be arraigned on the fugitive charge at 12:30 p.m. Friday, October 9, in Vermont Superior Court in Barre. An arraignment is a first court hearing where the charge is read. The result of that hearing had not been reported when this story was prepared. He is expected to be returned to Massachusetts.
Gun Charges Filed in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, prosecutors filed 16 gun charges against him Thursday in Woburn District Court, according to reports. He is accused of 15 counts of illegally storing a large-capacity gun near a minor and one count of having an untraceable “ghost gun,” a firearm with no serial number. No charge in his mother’s death had been announced as of Friday morning. The DA said the case is a moment to reflect on the presence of guns in a home during a dispute.
Remembered for Her Kindness
Neighbors described Andria Hanafin as kind and caring. She had a passion for helping cats and often fostered animals. A family friend said the world is a darker place without her. Massachusetts State Police and the DA’s office are continuing the investigation.
Sources:
boston.com, nbcnews.com, bostonherald.com, wcvb.com, cbsnews.com, wbur.org