READING, MA — A 22-year-old Massachusetts man is facing murder and firearms charges after police say he fatally shot his mother in the family home during a period of tension over rescue cats and his living situation.
Ryan Hanafin was arrested in Vermont after investigators identified him as a person of interest in the death of Andria Hanafin, 49, who was found in the kitchen of the family’s Center Avenue house shortly after midnight on October 8. Police say his father returned from work and discovered her with an apparent gunshot wound.
Authorities say the case also led to the recovery of 19 firearms from Ryan Hanafin’s bedroom, along with allegations that many of them were unsecured and accessible near a minor child in the home.
Father returns home to find Andria Hanafin dead
Police said Matthew Hanafin came home from his FedEx shift around 12:38 a.m. and immediately called 911 after finding his wife injured in the kitchen. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The couple’s 13-year-old son was in the house at the time but was not hurt. Investigators said he told them he had last seen his mother around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, left to spend time with friends, and returned later that evening.
A daughter was away at college, leaving only the parents, their younger son, and Ryan Hanafin in the home that night. Investigators have said there was no major prior police history tied to the residence.
Troopers arrest Ryan Hanafin in Vermont after his car is spotted
Authorities say Ryan Hanafin was last seen by his father around 11 a.m. on Wednesday and then disappeared along with his black 2010 Dodge Charger. Massachusetts police alerted Vermont State Police after learning he had ties to the Warren area.
Troopers found the vehicle on Route 100 near Sugarbush Access Road around 2:30 p.m. Thursday and took him into custody without incident. Police also said his Massachusetts license to carry had been suspended that morning.
Hanafin later appeared by video from the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury for a short hearing in Washington County Superior Court in Barre, where he waived extradition.
Investigators describe tension inside the home before the shooting
Court records and police reports point to family conflict in the days before Andria Hanafin’s death. She worked as a veterinary technician and was active in cat rescue and fostering, and officers estimated that 20 to 30 cats and kittens were roaming the house when they arrived.
Investigators say she and her son had argued about the animals. Police were told that on Wednesday evening she had said she wanted Ryan to move out.
Matthew Hanafin also told investigators he had spoken to his son that morning and urged him to get a job. Police said Ryan, a 2022 graduate of Reading Memorial High School, had been unemployed and had previously worked at a gun shop in Woburn.
Police say a Snapchat message and strange noises raised alarms
A friend told investigators that Ryan Hanafin sent a Snapchat message on Wednesday night saying he had told a cousin he “blew madre to pieces,” using a Spanish word for mother. According to police, the message said he later admitted he had lied to see how the cousin would react.
A neighbor also reported hearing popping sounds between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Wednesday. Those sounds were initially mistaken for fireworks.
Investigators have not said publicly what happened during the hours between those noises and the discovery of Andria Hanafin’s body after midnight.
Nineteen guns found in bedroom as firearms charges mount
Police say they recovered 19 firearms from Ryan Hanafin’s bedroom, which some accounts described as being in hoarding-like condition. Ten of the guns were registered to him, and nine of those were located, while one registered Colt .223-caliber rifle was missing.
Authorities said the rest of the collection included unregistered firearms, and at least one weapon had no serial number and may have been 3D-printed. Fifteen of the firearms were unsecured.
Along with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, Hanafin faces charges that include 15 counts related to improper storage of large-capacity firearms near a minor and one count of receiving an untraceable firearm. His father told police that Ryan often carried a concealed gun on his person.
Family, friends and animal rescuers remember Andria Hanafin
Friends and members of the local animal-rescue community have described Andria Hanafin as warm and generous, saying she was quick to help people she had just met and devoted much of her time to fostering cats.
A friend started a GiveSendGo fundraiser to help the family with expenses, and a candlelight vigil is planned for Wednesday evening, October 14, at Memorial Park in Reading.
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said the case highlights the danger of firearms during family disputes. Ryan Hanafin has not yet been formally arraigned in Massachusetts and is being held without bail while authorities arrange his return to Woburn District Court.
