The death of a 16-year-old girl in Arvada has led to a second-degree murder charge against her mother, authorities announced.
Gretchen Leanne Ryan, 55, is accused of supplying her daughter with alcohol despite her deteriorating health, according to prosecutors.
The victim, identified in an obituary as Grace Elizabeth Ryan, was found dead on March 9 at her family's home after authorities responded to an unresponsive female.
Preliminary autopsy findings revealed the teen had an abnormally fatty liver for someone her age, indicating prolonged periods of alcohol consumption, medical professionals believed.
The cause of death was determined to be aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use.
Prosecutors said the mother and daughter frequently drank extensively and smoked marijuana together, and had arranged regular alcohol deliveries to the home.
Text messages obtained by authorities revealed the mother had taken steps to conceal her daughter's alcohol use from her father, who primarily resided in the basement of the home.
Despite her daughter's significant physical health concerns, the mother continued to supply her with alcohol, according to the text messages, which described episodes of blood vomiting, difficulty eating, and difficulty walking.
The teenager expressed concerns about her health to her mother, authorities said, and text messages sent to her mother the night before her death revealed she was not feeling well.
Detectives found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden in the teen's bedroom during their investigation, including various brands and sizes of vodka and other hard liquor.
The victim had been un-enrolled from her high school in April 2025 to attend online classes, but had not completed her coursework and had not participated in activities outside the home for several months.
Ryan is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.
