The Butler County case began with a 1:15 a.m. call from the man’s parents, state police said.
SEVEN FIELDS, Pa. — A 26-year-old man fatally shot his wife inside their Butler County home early Tuesday, then was found dead in nearby woods after calling his parents to report the killing, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Authorities identified the couple as Ryan Hosso, 26, and Madeline Spatafore, 25, of Seven Fields. Police described the case as a homicide and suicide and said the investigation remained open. The deaths brought a large overnight response to Graywyck Drive, a residential street north of Pittsburgh, and extended into neighboring Cranberry Township, where Hosso was found.
The first emergency report came at about 1:15 a.m. April 28, state police said. Northern Regional police received a call from Hosso’s parents, who told officers their son had said he killed his wife at the couple’s home and was threatening to kill himself. Officers went to the residence and found Spatafore dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Police then searched the area behind the house. Northern Regional Police Department Chief Bryan DeWick said officers quickly located Hosso in a wooded area. “For a short time, the suspect was at large, but we quickly located him in a wooded area behind the house,” DeWick said.
State police said Hosso died from a single gunshot wound in Cranberry Township. The wooded area was behind the Seven Fields home but across a municipal line, which brought state police into the lead role. Trooper Bertha Cazy, a state police public information officer, said the case remained active as officers processed more than one scene. Cazy said Hosso’s parents were outside Pennsylvania but worked to reach the local police agency after the call from their son. Officials have not released a motive, a detailed timeline before the parents’ call or information about whether police had been called to the home before Tuesday.
The couple had been married since September 2024 after a wedding in Wooster, Ohio, according to local reports citing their wedding registry. Several outlets reported they were high school sweethearts and both attended Seneca Valley High School in Butler County. Spatafore later graduated from Duquesne University, where she was involved in the Honors College, Delta Zeta sorority and student groups tied to the physician assistant field. She had worked as a neurovascular critical care physician assistant at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh since November 2024. Hosso’s recent employment history was less clear in early reports. One former employer said he had not worked there in about three years.
The response brought local police, state police and the Butler County coroner’s office to the neighborhood before dawn. Local reports said officers used thermal drones during a search that lasted about an hour. DeWick said the case appeared domestic in nature and that no wider public safety threat remained after Hosso was found. Cazy said state police would work with local departments as investigators reviewed the home and the wooded area. “We’re going to be here as long as it takes to process the scene,” Cazy said. No criminal charges were announced, and no court proceeding was expected because the accused shooter was dead.
Neighbors described a jarring morning along Graywyck Drive as police vehicles and crime scene units filled the area while children waited for school buses nearby. Some parents walked children to bus stops after seeing the heavy police presence. One neighbor told local reporters he had moved to the area from Pittsburgh because it felt safer for his family. Another said the neighborhood had never seen anything like the overnight response. At Duquesne, Philip Clarke, a former student services director who knew Spatafore, remembered her as warm and active on campus. “Maddie lit up a room,” Clarke said. “Maddie was the type of person who was always happy, in a good mood.”
Investigators had identified both people by Tuesday evening and said they were not seeking another suspect. The case remained with Pennsylvania State Police in Butler County as officers continued evidence review, scene work and follow-up interviews. The next public update was expected from state police or the coroner’s office after additional findings were complete.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.