Mom charged with murder after 173 empty liquor bottles found in dead teen daughter’s bedroom
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ARVADA, Colorado — A Colorado mother is accused of supplying her 16-year-old daughter with so much alcohol that the teen developed severe health problems, vomited blood, struggled to walk and repeatedly told her mother she feared she was dying before she was found dead in the family home, according to investigators.
Gretchen Leanne Ryan is charged with second-degree murder in connection with her daughter’s March 2026 death. A months-long investigation uncovered messages showing Ryan and the teen frequently drank alcohol and used marijuana together, discussed obtaining liquor almost daily and that Ryan allegedly arranged repeated alcohol deliveries to the home while hiding the girl’s drinking from her father, according to a news release.
The girl was found unresponsive March 9 inside the family’s Arvada home in the 6400 block of West 85th Avenue. Authorities say her final message to Ryan was sent the night before from an iPad near her body in the bathroom. Investigators later found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden in the teen’s bedroom, and an autopsy determined she died from aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use.
According to investigators, messages between Ryan and her daughter documented the teen’s worsening condition in the months before her death. The girl allegedly told her mother she was vomiting blood, unable to eat, having trouble walking and using diapers because of symptoms tied to excessive alcohol consumption. Investigators say she repeatedly expressed fears that she was going to die and asked Ryan for help.
Preliminary autopsy findings showed the teen had an abnormally fatty liver for someone her age, which medical professionals believed pointed to prolonged and extensive alcohol use. Detectives say digital evidence from phones and other devices showed Ryan and her daughter frequently consumed alcohol and marijuana together beginning in September 2025 and regularly discussed alcohol use and procurement.
Investigators allege Ryan arranged alcohol deliveries to the home and took steps to conceal the teen’s drinking from her father, who primarily lived in the basement of the residence.
Messages exchanged the night before the teen’s death showed she was still telling Ryan she was sick, investigators said. Her final outgoing message was sent at 10:07 p.m. on March 8. Ryan’s later messages reportedly went unanswered, but 911 was not called until about 8:15 the following morning.
During a search of the girl’s bedroom, detectives found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden under the bed and in a closet, including bottles of vodka and other hard liquor, according to investigators.
Police also learned the teen had been withdrawn from public high school in April 2025 to attend online classes. At the time of her death, authorities said she had completed only one online semester of ninth grade and had not participated in activities outside the home for several months.
In an autopsy report issued April 4, Jefferson County forensic pathologist Dr. Dawn Holmes determined the teen died from aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use. The manner of death was classified as natural because of what the report described as the volitional nature of the alcohol consumption. Holmes wrote that chronic alcohol use can increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia by suppressing gag and cough reflexes, reducing salivary gland function and weakening the immune system.
The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office filed one count of second-degree murder on May 15, alleging Ryan knowingly caused her daughter’s death. Arvada police later arrested Ryan at her home. She was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond.