By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-05 17:41:11 | Updated at 2026-06-07 21:03:39
2 days ago
A Colorado mother has been charged with murder after prosecutors alleged she spent months supplying her 16-year-old daughter with alcohol before the teenager drank herself to death.
Gretchen Ryan, 55, was arrested in connection with the March death of her daughter, Grace Ryan, who prosecutors say suffered severe alcohol-related health problems while living at the family's home in Arvada, about 12 miles north of Denver.
Authorities alleged Ryan continued providing alcohol even after Grace began vomiting blood, struggled to walk, and told her mother she feared she was dying, according to prosecutors.
Grace repeatedly expressed fears about her rapidly deteriorating health and sought help from her mother as her condition worsened, prosecutors alleged in a press release.
By the time she died, investigators found 173 empty liquor bottles hidden beneath her bed and inside her closet. Prosecutors said the collection included various brands and sizes of vodka and other hard liquor.
In an arrest affidavit, Ryan is alleged to have sent several disturbing text messages to her daughter, saying she feared she was going to jail for 'killing' her.
'Hard for me to sleep cause I'm so scared,' 'You wouldn't do this to your child. I'm a f-ing disaster,' and 'Tried to be the cool mom and f-ed up,' continued the text messages described in an arrest affidavit, first reported by Law & Crime.
'It's child abuse and [redacted] is going to put me in jail where I should be.'
Grace Ryan, 16, died from complications related to chronic alcohol use after prosecutors alleged her mother spent months supplying her with liquor
Gretchen Ryan, 55, has been charged with second–degree murder after investigators alleged she continued providing alcohol as her daughter's health rapidly deteriorated
By the time she died, investigators found 173 empty liquor bottles hidden beneath her bed and inside her closet
Prosecutors said the collection included various brands and sizes of vodka and other hard liquor
An autopsy later determined Grace died from aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use.
Medical examiners also found she had an abnormally fatty liver, a condition doctors believed indicated extensive and prolonged drinking despite her age.
Ryan is charged with second–degree murder and remains jailed on a $500,000 cash-only bond. She is due back in court on June 17.
According to prosecutors, messages recovered during the investigation showed Ryan and her daughter discussed obtaining and consuming alcohol almost daily beginning in September 2025.
Investigators alleged Ryan arranged alcohol deliveries to the home and took steps to conceal Grace's drinking from her father, who primarily lived in the basement, prosecutors said.
The messages allegedly documented Grace's deteriorating health in the months before her death.
According to prosecutors, the teen suffered episodes of vomiting blood, difficulty eating, and difficulty walking.
Authorities also said Grace was forced to wear diapers because of symptoms associated with excessive alcohol consumption.
Messages exchanged the night before her death indicated she was still communicating with Ryan about being sick, prosecutors said.
Grace's final outgoing message was sent at 10.07pm on March 8 from an iPad later found near her body in the bathroom, prosecutors said.
Her mother was arrested at the family's home in Arvada, a Denver suburb, prosecutors said
Prosecutors said 173 empty alcohol bottles were discovered hidden beneath Grace's bed and inside her closet after her death
Records showed Ryan continued sending messages after that point but received no response.
Authorities said 911 was not called until approximately 8.15am the following morning.
Police found Grace dead in a bathroom after responding to reports of an unresponsive teenage girl.
An iPad discovered near her body allegedly contained months of communications between the teen and her mother.
Investigators also alleged Ryan unenrolled Grace from public school last year and enrolled her in online classes.
At the time of her death, prosecutors said the teen had completed only one online semester of ninth grade and had not participated in outside activities for several months.
When questioned by investigators, Ryan allegedly acknowledged she may have allowed her daughter to drink.
According to the arrest affidavit, she told detectives: 'If I was drunk, I probably might have let her.'
The affidavit also states detectives observed a vodka bottle on the floor of Grace's bedroom.
Ryan allegedly told investigators: 'I honestly think she's been stealing my vodka,' before suggesting her daughter had gotten into her liquor supply, according to the reporting of the affidavit from KDVR.
