Ryan Hanafin, Vermont State Police
A Massachusetts man sought after his mother was found shot to death in their Reading home was arrested Thursday afternoon in central Vermont, ending an intense manhunt for the suspect.
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What we know:
The Vermont State Police took Ryan Hanafin into custody without incident after spotting his 2010 Dodge Charger on Vermont Route 100. He was taken to jail on a fugitive-from-justice charge.
The backstory:
The arrest followed a fast-moving investigation in Massachusetts that began just after midnight Thursday when police received a 911 call from the victim’s husband saying that he found his wife shot in their kitchen. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office.
Police said the couple’s 13-year-old son was accounted for but not their oldest son, Ryan, who was still missing. He was immediately identified as a person of interest and considered “potentially armed and dangerous.”
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Reading Massachusetts Police Department
The Vermont State Police say 22-year-old Ryan Hanafin was reported as a person of interest in a homicide investigation. Massachusetts State Police alerted authorities in Vermont that it was believed that he was in the area.
Timeline:
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., troopers spotted Hanafin driving south. With assistance from the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, they conducted a traffic stop and arrested him without incident.
What’s next:
Authorities in Vermont say they remain in close contact with Massachusetts investigators as the homicide case continues to develop.
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