Left: Gretchen Ryan (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office). Right: Grace Ryan (Aspen Mortuaries).
A Colorado mother let her 16-year-old daughter drink herself to death, fueling and concealing her heavy alcohol use for months — and even going so far as to unenroll her from high school, prosecutors say.
When Grace Ryan, of Arvada, died in March, she had 173 empty alcohol bottles hidden under her bed and in her closet, according to a press release issued Wednesday by the First Judicial District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say the bottle collection included "various brands and sizes of vodka and other hard liquor" that her mom, Gretchen Ryan, had been giving her. The 55-year-old has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Grace's death.
"Ryan and the victim frequently consumed alcohol and marijuana together and, beginning in September 2025, discussed the consumption and procurement of alcohol on an almost daily basis," the DA's office says. "According to investigators, the communications indicate Ryan arranged regular alcohol deliveries to the home and took steps to conceal the victim's alcohol use from her father, who primarily resided in the basement of the home."
Police were called to the family's Arvada residence in the 6400 block of West 85th Avenue, about 12 miles north of Denver, after receiving a report of an "unresponsive juvenile female," according to the DA press release.
Grace was found dead at the scene in a bathroom. An iPad was discovered near her body that allegedly showed a disturbing series of messages the teen and her mother exchanged, as did other digital evidence obtained by police.
"According to investigators, the victim's documented communication with Ryan shows that in the months leading up to her death she was suffering from significant physical health concerns, due to the alcohol Ryan was allegedly providing her," the DA's office says. "The messages describe episodes of vomiting blood, difficulty eating, difficulty walking, and the use of diapers due to symptoms associated with excessive alcohol consumption."
Investigators allege that the communications show how Grace "repeatedly expressed fears that she was going to die" and sought help from Ryan. Messages exchanged the night before Grace's death "indicate she continued communicating with Ryan about being sick," according to the DA's office.
"The victim's last outgoing communication was sent to Ryan at 10:07 p.m. on March 8th from the victim's iPad located near her body in the bathroom," the DA's office says. "Records indicate that subsequent messages sent from Ryan's device went unanswered. 911 was not called until around 8:15 a.m. the following morning."
Investigators allege that last year, Ryan unenrolled Grace from her public high school to attend online school. At the time of her death, Grace had only completed one online semester of ninth grade and had not participated in any activities outside the home for several months.
An autopsy report determined that Grace's cause of death was "aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use," according to the DA's office. The manner of death was classified as "natural due to the volitional component of the alcohol consumption," per the DA press release.
"Preliminary autopsy findings revealed the victim had an abnormally fatty liver for someone of her age, which medical professionals believed could indicate extensive and prolonged alcohol consumption," the DA's office says.
Ryan was arrested last month at her home and charged with second-degree murder by knowingly causing death. She is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond and is due to appear in court on June 17 for a preliminary hearing.
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