Ryan Hosso’s parents called police after authorities say he told them he had killed his wife.

SEVEN FIELDS, Pa. — A 26-year-old man fatally shot his wife inside their Butler County home early April 28, then died by suicide in nearby woods after calling his parents, Pennsylvania State Police said.

The deaths of Ryan Hosso and 25-year-old Madeline Spatafore left investigators working across two neighboring communities north of Pittsburgh. Police described the case as a domestic murder-suicide and said the first emergency call came from Hosso’s parents, who reported what their son had told them and said he was threatening to kill himself.

The first report came at about 1:15 a.m., when Northern Regional Police Department officers were sent to the couple’s residence in Seven Fields Borough. State police said Hosso’s parents told authorities their son said he had killed his wife at the home. Officers found Spatafore inside with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. Hosso was not inside when officers arrived. Northern Regional Police Chief Bryan DeWick said the search moved quickly toward a wooded area behind the residence. “For a short time, the suspect was at large, but we quickly located him,” DeWick said. The wooded area where Hosso was found is in Cranberry Township, placing parts of the response in more than one police jurisdiction.

State police said Hosso was found dead from a single gunshot wound in the woods behind the home. Officials have not released a motive or said whether there had been prior calls to the address. Trooper Bertha Cazy said investigators planned to speak with neighbors to learn more about the couple’s home life and whether anyone noticed anything unusual before the shooting. Cazy said the agency’s crime unit would be part of that work. Police did not announce any other suspects. They also did not say how much time passed between the shooting inside the residence, the call to Hosso’s parents and the discovery of his body in the wooded area.

Seven Fields is a small borough in Butler County, north of Pittsburgh, near Cranberry Township and other fast-growing suburban communities. The case drew attention because the violence began in one community and ended across the line in another. DeWick said the case appeared domestic in nature and involved a husband and wife. State police identified Spatafore as a Seven Fields resident and Hosso as the actor in the shooting. The official release described the matter as a homicide and suicide and said the investigation was ongoing. Law enforcement officers remained at the scene to process evidence, interview people nearby and document the home and wooded area. Cazy said that kind of work can take an extended amount of time because several organizations were involved.

Spatafore and Hosso were married in September 2024 in Ohio, according to reports citing their wedding information. Local reports said both graduated from Seneca Valley High School, Hosso in 2018 and Spatafore in 2019. Spatafore later studied at Duquesne University and worked in health care. Her obituary said she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health Science in 2023, graduated summa cum laude and completed a master’s degree in physician assistant studies in 2024. It said she later worked as a licensed physician assistant in the neurocritical care unit at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Hosso’s online work history listed engineering roles, including a mechanical engineering job at a Pittsburgh-area firm. A company representative told a local television station that Hosso had not worked there in several years.

Because no surviving suspect remained, the next steps were investigative rather than criminal court proceedings. State police said the case remained open after the bodies were found. Investigators were expected to collect physical evidence, review electronic records where available, speak with relatives and neighbors, and prepare reports for Butler County authorities. Officials had not announced a final public finding beyond the preliminary murder-suicide description. They had not released a detailed timeline, a possible motive or information about the gun beyond the fatal wounds. The deaths also left no public schedule for an arraignment, bond hearing or trial. The legal record instead was expected to move through death investigations, forensic reviews and any reports completed by police and the coroner’s office.

Those who knew Spatafore described a young health care worker at the start of her career. Philip Clarke, a former Duquesne University student services director who knew Spatafore through campus life, said she was well liked and active at the university. “Everybody loved her,” Clarke said. He said she was friendly, smart and driven, and he connected her time at Duquesne to the medical work she later pursued. Her obituary described her as determined, compassionate and loyal, and named her parents, sisters, grandparents, other relatives, friends and her dog, August. A celebration of life gathering was scheduled for May 19 in Renfrew, after a private family ceremony. The family’s public notice requested no media at the gathering.

On Graywyck Drive, the investigation turned a residential street into an overnight crime scene. One neighbor told a local television station she did not know the couple but called it a sad day for the small street. Police did not report a continuing threat to the public after Hosso was found. State police said the investigation remained ongoing as officers worked to close the gaps between the first family call, the discovery inside the home and the final search in the woods.

Author note: Last updated May 21, 2026.