Island Resident Found Dead After Breaking & Entering Report On New Year's Day

An island resident was found deceased by the Nantucket Police Department on New Year's Day after it investigated a report of a breaking and entering incident at a Hummock Pond Road residence just after 8:30 a.m.

Officers discovered the body of Kevin D. Ryan, 71, on the lawn of the property, but do not consider the incident to be suspicious in nature. 

According to a statement provided by NPD Lieutenant Angus MacVicar last Friday morning, the police officers responded to a residence at the end of Hummock Pond Road at 8:33 a.m. for a reported breaking and entry. According to the police log, it was the home at 281 Hummock Pond Road.

When patrol officers arrived, they discovered the residence had been broken into and several personal items had been left behind by the suspect.

"Those items were identified as possibly belonging to Kevin D. Ryan, age 71 of Nantucket," MacVicar said. "Based on the items found, an immediate search of the residence, surrounding area and other residences in the area were conducted with negative result. Investigating officers requested and received security camera recordings of the outside area of the involved residence. After reviewing the security camera recordings, Patrol Officers and Detectives conducted another search of the area just outside the involved residence and discovered the snow covered, deceased body of Kevin D. Ryan, age 71 of Nantucket. The case does not appear suspicious and has been received by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Nothing further."

Ryan was the individual involved in a low-speed chase last month that led to several criminal charges. Last Wednesday, Ryan agreed to a plea deal and was released from jail on the condition he complete one year of probation on two charges of leaving the scene of property damage, one charge of resisting arrest, and one charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon continued without a finding for one year.

Ryan’s attorney, Glenn Herlihy, told the Current over the weekend that he wasn’t aware that Ryan had no place to live and that Ryan never mentioned it to him while he represented him over the course of the past couple weeks after being appointed by the court. He said Ryan reiterated to him he just wanted to get out of jail as soon as he could because he was still looking for roofing jobs and wanted to own up to what he did. Herlihy said this was set to be his final case on Nantucket before retiring from law, something he mentioned in a previous Nantucket District Court session in early December.

“I am sick over it, and I will be for a long time,” Herlihy said. “As I piece things together it seems he was living in his car and then when police took it away that was Armageddon for him. But he never told me that. I was concerned he'd get stranded in Bourne and homeless there, even for the short term (after being released from the Barnstable House of Corrections).”

The Current reached out to the Cape & Island's District Attorney's office Friday afternoon, and we will post any response if/when it is received.