A simmering family dispute in the small town of Bath, New Hampshire, tragically culminated in the deaths of 39-year-old Kristal Moody, a Caucasian female, and her mother. On the afternoon of October 7, 2025, police responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired at a residence on Tyler Way. Upon their arrival, they discovered the bodies of Kristal, a resident of West Fairlee, Vermont, and her 67-year-old mother, Cindy Moody.
Both women had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
At the scene, law enforcement encountered Cindy's brother-in-law, 73-year-old Charles “Chuck” Readey, who was armed with a rifle. An officer who knew Readey pleaded with him to put down his weapon so they could render aid to the victims. Readey reportedly responded, "You can't help them now." After a tense period, during which his wife also urged him to surrender, Readey eventually laid down his firearm and was taken into custody without further incident.
The investigation that followed painted a grim picture of escalating tensions within the household. Court documents revealed a long-standing conflict and a landlord-tenant dispute that had recently led to legal action. Readey later told police that his sister-in-law, Cindy, had been a source of stress for four decades. The argument on the day of the shooting allegedly began over the living arrangements, as Cindy had been residing in the basement of the home. Readey stated that after the women started yelling at him, he went into the house, retrieved a rifle, and shot Kristal through a glass door before shooting Cindy.
Autopsies later confirmed that both Kristal and Cindy Moody died from gunshot wounds to the chest, and their deaths were ruled homicides. Charles Readey was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder for knowingly causing their deaths. He was held without bail pending further court proceedings. Authorities have assured the public that there is no ongoing threat related to this incident.
