A woman has been charged with murder after her 16-year-old died due to complications related to chronic alcohol use.
Gretchen Leanne Ryan, 55, was charged with second-degree murder May 15 after investigators found evidence her daughter "had been supplied with alcohol for a prolonged period" and experienced significant health issues leading up to her death in March, according to a release from the First Judicial District attorney’s office.
Arvada police and fire responded to the home in the 6400 block of West 85th Avenue on March 9, and the teen was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
Preliminary autopsy finding showed she had "an abnormally fatty liver" for someone her age, which experts believed could indicate "extensive and prolonged" alcohol use.
Digital evidence showed that Ryan and her daughter frequently consumed alcohol and cannabis together and discussed alcohol "on an almost daily basis" beginning in September 2025, according to the release. Investigators said that Ryan helped arrange alcohol deliveries to the home and helped hide the consumption from the teen's father.
Detectives found 173 empty alcohol bottles under the bed and in the closet during a search of the teen's room, according to the release.
Investigators said she had suffered from significant alcohol-related health problems leading up to her death, including "vomiting blood, difficulty eating, difficulty walking, and the use of diapers," which were documented in her communications with Ryan, according to the release.
"Investigators also say the communications show the victim repeatedly expressed fears that she was going to die and sought help from Ryan," the release said.
The teen had been unenrolled from public high school to attend online school in April 2025, and had only completed one online semester by the time of her death, according to officials. She had also stopped participating in "activities outside the home for several months," the release said.
The teen and her mother exchanged messages the night before the her death about being sick, according to the release, with the last outgoing message from the teen sent just after 10 p.m. on March 8, according to the DA's office. Messages from Ryan then went unanswered, and 911 wasn't called until after 8 a.m. the next morning, the release states.
A Jefferson County forensic pathologist determined her cause of death was aspiration pneumonia related to chronic alcohol use, the DA's office said.
Ryan is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on $500,000 cash-only bond. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing June 17.
This is a developing story that may be updated.
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