Homicide in Reading: police search for son in connection with death of mother at family home

READING, Mass. — Authorities are searching for a person of interest in a homicide investigation at a Reading home, law enforcement said Thursday morning.

Massachusetts State Police detectives and the Reading Police Department are working to locate Ryan Hanafin, 22, after his mother, Andria Hanafin, 49, 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 found 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 apparently shot. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ryan said Hanafin may have been traveling in a black 2010 Dodge Charger with Massachusetts plates reading 2PSY15. The vehicle was last seen on Interstate 93 in the Tewksbury area.

Hanafin and his vehicle were still “missing” at Ryan’s 10:30 a.m. press conference. He is described as 5ft 10ins tall.

Ryan warned that Hanafin should be considered armed and dangerous and urged the public to exercise extreme caution, noting that he had a carry permit, which was suspended Thursday by Reading police.

Anyone who sees him should call 911 immediately.

“We have an individual who had a gun license and has firearms registered to him,” Ryan said. “It’s a moment to reflect on the presence of firearms in a home during an alleged argument.”

Ryan noted that the family had no history with Reading police, suggesting the incident may have stemmed from a domestic dispute.

“It’s shocking. It’s tragic. These are domestic violence allegations at this point, even though it’s 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, located near several businesses along busy Route 28.