Prosecutors say investigators found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden in the teen’s bedroom.
GOLDEN, Colo. — A Colorado woman has been charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors said she supplied alcohol to her 16-year-old daughter for months before the teen died at their Arvada home in March.
Gretchen Leanne Ryan, 55, is accused in the death of her daughter, Grace Elizabeth Ryan, whose death led to a months-long investigation by Arvada police. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office said the case centers on alcohol allegedly provided to a minor, the teen’s worsening health and the delay before anyone called 911.
Arvada Fire and Arvada police went to a home in the 6400 block of West 85th Avenue on March 9 after a report of an unresponsive juvenile female. Grace was pronounced dead at the scene. Prosecutors said her last outgoing message was sent to Ryan from an iPad near her body at 10:07 p.m. March 8. Messages later sent from Ryan’s device went unanswered, and 911 was not called until about 8:15 a.m. the next day.
Preliminary autopsy findings showed Grace had an abnormally fatty liver for someone her age, which medical professionals said could point to long and heavy alcohol use. Authorities said her death was tied to aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol abuse. Investigators also searched the teen’s bedroom and found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden under her bed and in her closet. The bottles included different sizes and brands of hard liquor.
Detectives examined cellphones and other devices belonging to Ryan and her daughter. Prosecutors said the records showed the two frequently drank alcohol and used marijuana together. Beginning in September 2025, investigators said, Ryan and Grace discussed drinking and obtaining alcohol almost every day. The district attorney’s office said Ryan arranged regular alcohol deliveries to the home and tried to hide the teen’s alcohol use from Grace’s father, who primarily lived in the basement.
Authorities said Grace’s messages described serious health problems in the months before her death, including vomiting blood, trouble eating, trouble walking and the use of diapers because of symptoms tied to heavy alcohol use. Prosecutors said the teen also wrote that she was in severe pain and feared she was dying. Investigators said Ryan did not seek medical care before Grace was found dead in the bathroom the next morning.
Grace had left public school and enrolled in online classes in April 2025, according to investigators. By the time she died, authorities said, she had completed one online semester of freshman coursework and had not been involved in activities outside the home for several months. Prosecutors have not said whether any other person will face charges in the case.
The district attorney’s office filed one count of second-degree murder on May 15, accusing Ryan of knowingly causing death. A warrant was issued for her arrest, and Arvada police arrested her at the home on June 3. Ryan was booked into the Jefferson County Jail and held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. Court records cited by prosecutors listed a preliminary hearing for June 17.
Ryan has been charged, not convicted. The allegations must be proven in court. Prosecutors said the case remains active as investigators continue to review digital records, medical findings and the circumstances inside the home before Grace’s death.
Author note: Last updated Sunday, June 28, 2026.