A Colorado mother has been charged with second-degree murder after her 16-year-old daughter died from complications related to chronic alcohol abuse. Gretchen Leanne Ryan is accused of supplying her daughter, Grace Elizabeth Ryan, with copious amounts of alcohol over several months.
Authorities found 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden in the teen's bedroom. According to the district attorney’s office, Grace died in March from aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection linked to severe alcohol consumption. An autopsy revealed the teen had a fatty liver, which doctors attributed to prolonged alcohol use.
Court documents detail a disturbing pattern of behavior, including text messages where Grace expressed feeling immense pain and that she felt like she was "gonna die." She allegedly begged her mother to take her to a hospital, but no medical help was sought. The mother and daughter reportedly drank together and also smoked marijuana, attempting to conceal this from Grace's father, who lived in the basement.
Grace had transitioned to online classes in April 2025 and had not been involved in outside activities for several months prior to her death. She had completed only one semester of freshman coursework. The warrant noted that when police arrived at the home, the mother was wearing an adult diaper and slurring her words, repeatedly telling detectives, "I killed her."
Ryan was arrested on June 3 and is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond. The investigation involved a review of arrest affidavits and autopsy reports.