Andria Hanafin, a 49-year-old mother of three, was found shot dead inside her home in Reading, Massachusetts, prompting an hours-long search for her 22-year-old son, who was later arrested in Vermont.
Hanafin was discovered in the kitchen of the family home at around 12:38 a.m. on Thursday, according to the Reading Police Department. Her husband, Matthew Hanafin, had returned from work, found his wife and called 911. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple’s youngest child, their 13-year-old son, was at home on the night of the shooting. Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said the teenager told investigators he had last seen his mother alive at around 5 p.m. He later went out with friends, returned home at about 9 p.m. and went straight to his room.
Investigators soon discovered that the couple’s eldest son, Ryan Hanafin, 22, was missing. His car, a black 2010 Dodge Charger, was also unaccounted for, leading authorities to search for him as part of the homicide investigation.
District Attorney Ryan said investigators had no known record of previous police contact involving the family before the killing. Officials also confirmed that Ryan Hanafin had access to several firearms that he legally owned.
“We do know Ryan Hanafin has a license to carry, which was suspended this morning,” Ryan said.
Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the shooting. They also said there were no known mental health issues involving the 22-year-old.
The search expanded beyond Massachusetts on Thursday afternoon, when state police alerted Vermont authorities to look for Hanafin and his vehicle. Reading, a suburb of Boston, is about 170 miles southeast of the area where he was eventually located.
Vermont State Police spotted the Dodge Charger and stopped the vehicle at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. Hanafin was taken into custody and charged as a fugitive from justice. He was held without bail at the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in Vermont, according to state police.
He was scheduled to be arraigned on Friday afternoon. The information provided by authorities did not specify whether additional charges had been filed in connection with his mother’s death.
Hanafin’s daughter, the couple’s third child, was away at college when the shooting occurred, police said.
As investigators continued their work, family friends remembered Andria Hanafin as a caring person who placed the needs of others before her own.
Heather Gagliardi, a family friend, described the loss in a fundraising appeal published on GiveSendGo, saying Hanafin had been taken from the world suddenly and tragically. She said the 49-year-old left behind a husband, family members and friends who loved her deeply.
Gagliardi also recalled Hanafin’s generosity, describing her as someone who would give away what she had to help another person. Whether supporting relatives, friends or people she had only just met, Gagliardi wrote, Hanafin was always looking for ways to make sure others were cared for.
Police have not publicly established a motive for the killing. The investigation remains focused on the circumstances surrounding Hanafin’s death and the evidence collected by authorities.
