Community Candlelight Vigil set for Wednesday at Memorial Park
(3-minute read)
Graphic by the Town of Reading.
The Town of Reading will hold a Community Candlelight Vigil on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, at 6:00 pm at Memorial Park to honor and remember Andria Hanafin, a Reading resident who was found dead in her home on October 8.
An invitation to gather
In announcing the vigil, the town invited the community to honor the memory of a neighbor whose life was taken too soon. “Even in the darkest moments, we stand together as a community,” the announcement read in a post on the town’s Facebook page. Residents are asked to join at Memorial Park on Wednesday.
News outlets have reported that Hanafin worked as a veterinary technician and fostered cats.
What police and prosecutors have said
Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Reading Police Chief David Clark have confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued for 22-year-old Ryan Hanafin of Reading in connection with his mother Andria Hanafin’s death. The charge is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
According to the Reading Police Department, officers received a 911 call at about 12:38 am on Thursday, October 8, reporting that the body of a 49-year-old woman had been located inside a Center Avenue home. Officers found her suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police determined that Ryan Hanafin was not in the home and had allegedly fled in a black 2010 Dodge Charger. Investigators could not immediately locate him, and police asked law enforcement and members of the public to be on the lookout. Police released the vehicle’s make, model, and license plate and urged residents not to approach him but to call police instead.
Arrest in Vermont
Police located Hanafin in Vermont later that day. NBC Boston reported that Vermont State Police arrested him off Route 100 in Warren, more than 170 miles from Reading, ending an hours-long search. In a joint statement, DA Ryan and Chief Clark said there was no further risk to public safety.
DA Ryan described the case as an apparent domestic violence incident, with the exact circumstances still under investigation, and called it “shocking” and “tragic,” according to WBUR. Reports said police had no significant history of calls to the home.
What happens next
Hanafin appeared virtually before a Vermont Superior Court judge on Friday, October 9, and agreed to be extradited to Massachusetts. A status hearing was set for Thursday, October 15, if he has not yet been returned. He is expected to be arraigned in Woburn District Court on a date to be determined.
The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to that office, and the Reading Police Department are investigating.
