October 08, 2026
Manhunt over in hours: Ryan Hanafin, 22, in custody after mother Andria found shot dead in Reading, MA kitchen
Headline card by The Night Desk
Reading, Massachusetts — It started with a husband coming home from work and ended with an "armed and dangerous" manhunt across state lines. Now, hours later, a 22-year-old is in custody.
What happened
Shortly before 12:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 8, Reading police received a 911 call from Matthew Hanafin, 48, who told dispatchers he had just returned home from work and found his wife dead in the kitchen of their Center Avenue home.
Responding officers found Andria Hanafin, 49, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Also in the house: the couple's 13-year-old son, who had been out with friends until around 9 p.m. He told police he last saw his mother at 5 p.m. Wednesday and went straight to his bedroom when he got home — he never saw her that night, per reporting by the Boston Globe and Boston 25 News.
The manhunt
Investigators quickly identified a person of interest: the couple's older son, Ryan Hanafin, 22.
- Described as 5-foot-10, with shoulder-length straight blonde hair, a mustache and glasses — the only photo of him was released by police.
- Believed to be driving a black 2010 Dodge Charger with Massachusetts plate 2PSY15.
- Considered armed and dangerous; police told the public: "By all means, please do not approach him" — call 911 instead.
- NBC reported his license to carry a gun has been suspended.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said there was "no significant history" of police calls to the family home. Her most-quoted line of the briefing: "It's alleged to be domestic violence at this point, although not the traditional domestic violence situation that we think of."
In custody — hours later
Reading police subsequently announced that Ryan Hanafin was taken into custody by Vermont State Police, ending the manhunt within hours of the killing.
It is not yet clear whether he has been formally charged with a crime.
DEVELOPING — details coming as they land. The Night Desk will update this article as Reading police and the Middlesex DA's office release more.
Source: People (via Boston 25 News, Boston Globe, NBC) · Fox News. Image: headline card by The Night Desk.
Source: People / Fox News — read the original report
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