READING, Mass. — Authorities are searching for a person of interest in connection with a homicide investigation at a home in Reading, law enforcement officials announced Thursday morning.
Massachusetts State Police detectives and the Reading Police Department are working to locate 22-year-old Ryan Hanafin after his mother, 49-year-old Andria Hanafin, was found dead by her husband, Matthew Hanafin, just after 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said at a news conference.
Ryan said responding officers located Andria Hanafin dead in the kitchen of the family’s Center Avenue home, and that the couple’s younger son had last seen her alive around 5 p.m. Wednesday before going out with friends.
Andria Hanafin was said to be suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ryan said Hanafin may have been traveling in a black 2010 Dodge Charger with Massachusetts plates bearing registration 2PSY15. The vehicle was last seen on Interstate 93 in the Tewksbury area.
Hanafin and his vehicle remained “unaccounted for” as of Ryan’s 10:30 a.m. news conference. He’s described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall.
Ryan warned that Hanafin should be considered armed and dangerous and urged the public to use extreme caution, noting that he had a license to carry, which was suspended Thursday by Reading police.
Anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately.
“We have an individual who did have a license to carry, who does have some guns that were registered to him,” Ryan said. “It’s a moment of reflection on the presence of guns in a home during an alleged dispute.”
Ryan noted that the family has no prior history with Reading police, suggesting the incident could have stemmed from a domestic dispute.
“It’s shocking. It’s tragic. It’s alleged domestic violence at this point, although not the traditional domestic violence situation that we think of,” Ryan said.
Shortly after sunrise, Boston 25 News spotted police and animal control officers gathered at the home, which is located near multiple businesses along busy Route 28.
Video from the scene showed Halloween decor on the lawn roped off with yellow crime tape, along with at least four Reading Police Department cruisers and a Woburn Animal Control vehicle.
An Office of the State Medical Examiner’s vehicle was also at the home.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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