Thomas Ryan, 32, Captured After Killing Father and Torching Greenville Home

Q: What dark secret was the intentionally set Greenville house fire meant to hide before the armed suspect vanished?

The fire appears to have been set to conceal a homicide: investigators say a person was found dead inside the Greenville home after the blaze was extinguished, and preliminary evidence indicates the victim was likely killed before the fire was intentionally started. What remains unclear is the exact “secret” beyond that. Authorities have not released the victim’s identity, have not publicly detailed the relationship between the victim and Thomas David Ryan, and have not fully confirmed the sequence of events. But multiple reports state the death is being investigated as a homicide and the fire as deliberate, strongly suggesting the arson was meant to destroy evidence of the killing. Additional reporting indicates the body found inside was that of a man, and one neighbor told local media he believed the victim was “a very old man,” though police have not officially confirmed those personal details. Investigators have also said Ryan may have been driving the victim’s 2016 gray Toyota Prius, which could become important evidence in establishing what happened before he disappeared. So, based on the facts released so far, the “dark secret” the fire was likely meant to hide was the killing of the person found dead in the house. Beyond that, police have not yet disclosed a motive or fuller circumstances.

Q: Who was the unnamed victim found in the ashes, and what triggered this deadly sequence of events?

The victim has not been publicly identified, so there is no confirmed name for the person found in the burned home. What has emerged from local reporting is that the victim was a man, and a neighbor who tried to enter the house described him as “a very old man.” Investigators believe the deadly sequence began with a homicide, followed by an intentionally set fire meant to burn the home on Greenville Turnpike. State Police and multiple media reports say the victim was likely killed before the blaze was set, though authorities have not released the exact cause of death, the victim’s relationship to Thomas David Ryan, or a motive. The fire was reported Thursday evening, shortly after 7 p.m., at 512 Greenville Turnpike in Greenville, Orange County. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and then found the body inside. Police are treating the case as a homicide linked to arson and are searching for Ryan, 32, who they say may be armed and dangerous. At this stage, the key unknowns remain the victim’s identity and what specifically triggered the violence. Authorities have not said what confrontation, dispute, or motive led to the killing, and the investigation is ongoing.

3 articles · Updated · FOX 5 New York · Aug 7

New York State Police ended a three-day manhunt Sunday by taking Thomas Ryan into custody after authorities said he killed his father in Greenville and set the house on fire.
Robert Ryan, 70, was found dead after firefighters extinguished the Aug. 6 blaze on Greenville Turnpike, and investigators said he was killed before the fire was deliberately set.
Police had been searching for Ryan since Thursday, saying he fled in a gray 2016 Toyota Prius with New York plate HNH-7671 and warning that he was armed and dangerous.
Authorities said Ryan did not live at the home, had no other known current ties to Greenville, and had frequented the Plattsburgh area while staying at multiple shelters across New York state.