State police identified the couple as Madeline Spatafore, 25, and Ryan Hosso, 26.
SEVEN FIELDS, PA — A husband and wife were found dead early Tuesday after an apparent murder-suicide that began at a Butler County home and ended in woods near the Cranberry Township line, Pennsylvania State Police said.
State police identified the couple as Madeline Spatafore, 25, and Ryan Hosso, 26. Police said the case appeared to be domestic in nature and that there was no continuing threat to the public. The shooting drew officers from multiple agencies before dawn and left investigators working across two neighboring communities.
The investigation began around 1 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Graywyck Drive in Seven Fields. Officers went to the home after a 911 call and found Spatafore inside with a fatal gunshot wound, according to police. Northern Regional Police Chief Bryan DeWick said officers then searched for Hosso, who was not inside the home when police arrived. “For a short time, the suspect was at large, but we quickly located him in a wooded area behind the house,” DeWick said.
Police said the wooded area where Hosso was found is in neighboring Cranberry Township, putting the scene across local jurisdiction lines. DeWick said officers used thermal drones during the search, which lasted about an hour. Hosso was found dead in the woods from what police described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities said the first findings showed that Hosso shot and killed his wife before taking his own life. Police had not released a detailed motive by Tuesday afternoon.
The deaths brought a large police response to a quiet residential area north of Pittsburgh. State police troopers took the lead in the investigation because the case involved both Seven Fields and Cranberry Township. Butler County Coroner Korynne Young’s office also responded to the scene. Officials said the case remained under investigation Tuesday, and the final manner and cause of death would be handled through the coroner’s office and the state police investigation.
Local police described the case as a domestic situation but did not say whether officers had been called to the address before Tuesday. Authorities also did not say who made the 911 call, though early reports said family members contacted emergency dispatchers. Police did not report injuries to anyone else. By later Tuesday, officials said they did not believe there was an ongoing danger in the neighborhood.
The shooting unfolded in Seven Fields, a small borough in southern Butler County near Cranberry Township. The two communities sit along a fast-growing suburban corridor north of Pittsburgh, where borough and township boundaries often meet along residential streets, wooded lots and subdivisions. The location of the home and the wooded area led police to work across both places while they secured the scene and searched for evidence.
Investigators were expected to review the home, the wooded area and any available records tied to the emergency call. Police had not announced criminal charges because the suspected shooter was dead. No public briefing schedule had been released by Tuesday afternoon, and officials had not said when a full investigative report would be finished.
Neighbors in the Graywyck Drive area saw police vehicles and investigators near the home after the shooting. The early morning response included a search behind the house before officers found Hosso in the woods. DeWick said the search ended quickly after officers located him, and police later told residents there was no public safety threat.
The investigation remained active Tuesday afternoon, April 28, as state police and the coroner’s office continued their work. Officials had released the couple’s names but had not announced a motive or a final report timeline.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.