“I’m in so much pain I can’t keep doing this. Do something,” the girl messaged her mother, according to an Arvada Police Department arrest affidavit released Thursday.

Gretchen Ryan, 55, dismissed her daughter’s concerns. She is now charged with second-degree murder in Grace’s death after investigators found she enabled and encouraged her daughter’s alcoholism even when Grace’s health plummeted to the point that the teenager vomited blood and became incontinent.

“If you’re going to do this to me you need to take me to a hospital,” the girl wrote during a text-message exchange with her mother shortly after 4 p.m. on March 4, according to the affidavit.

“Why did you ask me to get more?” her mother responded.

“I’m gonna die,” the teenager said.

“No you aren’t,” her mother answered.

“I’m not doing it,” Grace wrote.

“Don’t drink anymore. Just smoke weed,” Gretchen Ryan responded.

“Call 911,” Grace wrote.

“Seriously?” her mother said.

“I don’t know what else to do,” the girl answered.

“You are going to breathe and stop drinking,” Gretchen Ryan responded. “Are you throwing up?”

“You won’t do anything,” Grace wrote. “I’m in so much pain.”

The 16-year-old girl died March 9 at her home in Arvada. In her obituary, she is remembered as enjoying music, art, church, pets and friends. She hoped to become a social worker, .

In interviews with police, Gretchen Ryan repeatedly said she caused her daughter’s death, according to the 25-page affidavit.

“I feel like I killed her,” the woman said.

The 55-year-old mother, who described herself as an alcoholic, repeated that sentiment several times before and after the teenager’s death, according to the records, even as she ensured her daughter had a heavy supply of available alcohol and worked with the teenager to hide both of their drinking habits from Grace’s father.

“I’m committing child abuse and murder,” Gretchen Ryan messaged her daughter in a string of unanswered texts in January. “And I will go to prison. So we have to do something it is really bad. Do you understand? Vomiting blood is a really bad sign. Look it up. I probably should tell (redacted) and take you to the hospital. Are you reading these? Hello!!!’nnm Respond!!!!!!!!!! Do you want to die? If (redacted) saw you he’d freak out. Quit ignoring me.”

In other messages, Gretchen Ryan said she “tried to be the cool (redacted) and (expletived) up.”

Both mother and daughter consumed about a bottle of vodka a day each, according to the affidavit. Gretchen Ryan frequently ordered the liquor to be delivered to the family’s home, and the pair worked together to hide the severity of their drinking from Grace’s father, using a backpack to secretly move bottles of alcohol through the house, and hiding bottles for each other in a bathroom.

Grace’s father told investigators he’d only discovered his daughter drinking on two occasions, and that he’d confiscated the alcohol. The father declined to comment when reached by The Denver Post on Wednesday.

In November, Grace messaged her mother to say that her father discovered some of her drinking. Gretchen instructed her daughter on what lies to tell to explain away the alcohol bottle, and Grace reassured her mother that her father did not know how often or how much she drank, according to the affidavit.

Gretchen Ryan estimated that her daughter drank to the point of vomiting at least once a week.

On March 3, Grace texted a friend and said she’d been an alcoholic for a year but wanted to get sober.

“I never wanted to be like this,” the teenager wrote to her friend, before expressing fear that her mother would be sent to prison. “I don’t think she wants me to get help which is what really scares me… I’m gonna die.”

Investigators later found 173 empty bottles of alcohol hidden in the teenager’s bedroom, according to the affidavit. The messages reviewed by investigators show the teenager often had to drink alcohol to avoid withdrawal. Her mother pulled her from public school in the fall of 2025 and enrolled the teenager in an online school.

On the night that Grace died, Gretchen told police she heard the girl fall in the bathroom and checked on her. She rolled Grace on her side but believed Grace was experiencing a seizure and would recover. She said Grace woke up and asked her to leave the bathroom. She checked on the girl one more time before going to bed, the woman said.

She messaged her daughter at 9:52 p.m.

“Doing ok?” Gretchen Ryan wrote.

“Pplplplease” her daughter wrote back at 10:07 p.m.

That was the last message Grace ever sent.

The girl was last spotted at about 8:15 a.m. Friday, possibly near Denver International Airport, . Investigators at 6:36 a.m. Wednesday.

Police arrived at an apartment at Willow Green Townhomes, 6989 Sheridan Blvd., at 7:11 a.m. after getting calls about a “disturbance involving an assault” and that there were multiple people, including children, and guns in the home.

Officers entered the home and found one person who was being kept against their will and safely removed two women and a child from the home, Arvada police said. The Westminster Police Department also responded to the scene and deployed a drone to help with surveillance.

Witnesses told police there were two men still inside who were believed to be armed, and officers saw one man crawl out of a window onto the roof while armed and then go back inside.

At 8:03 a.m., the man came back onto the roof and got a gun, which is when a Westminster officer shot the man and he fell on the roof.

Paramedics could not immediately get to the man because police did not know what was going on inside the apartment, Arvada officials wrote. Officers used a drone to monitor him and saw he “showed no signs of life.”

The Jefferson County SWAT Team searched the apartment and did not find anyone else inside. The man was pronounced dead at 11 a.m., and investigators found two guns near his body and another gun in the apartment.

It’s not clear what happened to the second man described by witnesses, and investigators are still looking into whether he left the home before police arrived, department spokesperson Chase Amos said.

Arvada police are investigating the assault and the 17th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the police shooting.

Updated 5:47 p.m. May 2, 2026: Because of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story misreported which police department the officer who shot the suspect was from. The officer was from the Westminster Police Department. The story has been updated.

Javier Delgado-Cordoba, 29, is accused of assaulting a woman in the back of his car in Arvada in January, police officials said this week. Delgado-Cordoba turned himself in Monday.

Investigators said the assault happened after a woman and her boyfriend requested an Uber to pick them up at a bar in the Denver area and take them to a home in Arvada. The couple was picked up by a driver named Javier in a 2023 Kia K5 sedan.

When they arrived at their destination, the woman’s boyfriend got out of the car to unlock the home, which is when Delgado-Cordoba got into the back seat. When the boyfriend returned, Delgado-Cordoba got back in the driver’s seat and drove away with the woman still inside.

She was later dropped off at a business in another city, Arvada police said, and employees at the business helped her get in touch with family.

Police identified Delgado-Cordoba as a suspect through his ride-hail profile, social media and DNA. He drove for Uber for about a year and had given more than 1,000 rides and may have used other vehicles, according to the department.

“We recognize that these types of crimes are deeply personal and difficult to report,” Arvada Police Chief Ed Brady said in a statement. “Our goal in sharing this information is to ensure that anyone who may have been affected knows they are not alone and that support and resources are available.”

The case comes less than a year after Gov. Jared Polis vetoed a bill that would have placed new safety and reporting requirements on ride-hail companies such as Uber and Lyft. At the time, Polis acknowledged the need for tighter regulations but said he was influenced to reject the bill after Uber threatened to leave the state if the bill passed.

Deldago-Cordoba is in custody at the Jefferson County jail on $20,000 bail. He is set to appear in court May 20.

Anyone who believes they may be a victim can contact their local law enforcement agency or the Arvada police tip line at 720-898-7171 and reference case AR26001904.

The two teens, who were not identified by police because they are juveniles, were arrested on charges of false reporting of explosives and false reporting of an active shooter, both felonies, and interference with staff or faculty of an educational facility, a misdemeanor, the said Wednesday evening.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from across metro Denver responded to Adams City High, 7200 Quebec Parkway, around 1 p.m. after someone called 911 to report a bomb at the school and the presence of an active shooter, with wounded people supposedly inside the facility, authorities said.

Officials put the school on lockdown, with students and staff secured inside classrooms. Adams City High currently enrolls 1,422 students, according to state records.

Police entered the school, going room to room to clear the building and look for a shooter and any victims, officials said.

Once inside, officers found “what appeared to be a blood trail in several areas of the school,” Commerce City police said.

After searching the school for two hours, police determined there were no victims and no real threat. But they found and arrested two students “who were covered in what looked like fake blood — the same substance officers had encountered in parts of the building,” police said.

“For many, calls of this nature are their worst nightmare,” Commerce City police Chief Darrel Guadnola said in a statement. “Whether a first responder, a parent, a teacher or a student — most will never forget this day. The notion that this call may have been part of a prank is highly disturbing and pulled valuable law enforcement resources away from real emergencies in the Denver metro.”

No students were injured during the lockdown, but one experienced an unrelated medical issue and was transported to a hospital by paramedics as a precaution, . That student was later released to their parents.

District officials also noted that social media posts shared by people who weren’t employees of the district spread inaccurate information that may have alarmed families.

“Adams 14 encourages the public to avoid sharing unverified information on social media during incidents, as it can unintentionally increase fear and confusion for families, divert law enforcement resources and place additional strain on those working to protect students,” Adams 14 officials said in their statement.

Law enforcement officers from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Westminster Police Department, Thornton Police Department, RTD Police Department, Arvada Police Department, Aurora Police Department, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the school.

David Ajiri, 25, turned himself in at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office on Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest more than two weeks earlier, on Feb. 20, according to court records.

Ajiri was arrested on suspicion of extortion, posting private images/harassment and posting private images for pecuniary gain, according to Jefferson County court records.

Investigators have identified one victim but believe there are many more who have not yet been identified or who have not yet come forward, according to a news release from the Arvada Police Department. The man targeted women and girls as young as 14 and had been active since at least 2018, police said.

“Evidence indicates Ajiri targeted women nationwide, not only in Arvada,” officials stated in the release.

Police believe Ajiri used dating apps and social media to contact women and convince them to send intimate photos and videos for money, according to the release. He frequently sent altered or fake transaction receipts to make it appear he had paid other women and allegedly posed as women who claimed to have been paid by him before to build trust with his victims, police said.

The victims were never paid, and investigators believe Ajiri threatened to send their intimate images or videos to friends and family unless they continued to provide sexual content, money or both, police said.

“In many cases, Ajiri reportedly sent victims a detailed bulleted list of specific image and video requests with explicit instructions,” officials stated. “Evidence also indicates that Ajiri sold some of the content online.”

“Detectives understand that these crimes are deeply personal and often traumatic, and they encourage victims to come forward so investigators can fully understand the scope of this case and pursue justice,” the statement continued.

Arvada police said aliases used by Ajiri include:

• Anthony
• Anthony Matthews
• Adam Russell
• Brad Manning
• Brandon Cress
• Brandon Ali
• Christan Morris
• Cristian Ortiz
• Damon A
• Danny Rodriguez
• Dante
• Dave E
• Dave Jordan
• David Andrews
• David E
• David Jaeger
• DJay
• Dylan M
• Dylan Michaels
• Jay
• Jay A
• Kels
• Kelsi
• Kens
• Kensi
• Kensy
• Kenzie
• Lexi
• Mckenzie
• McKenzie Jensenn
• Mike Brandon
• Mike Green

Police also identified several social media accounts believed to belong to Ajiri, including:

• brandc428, on Instagram
• brandoncress87, on Instagram
• chris.morris98, on Snapchat
• crort786, on Instagram
• cro6788, on Instagram
• dajiri8535, on Snapchat davidandrews2054, on Instagram
• dmol678, on Instagram
• kenslove3, on Snapchat
• mikebrown867, on Snapchat
• mikegreen876, on Instagram
• mikegbrandon0, on Instagram
• nbalifer23, on Instagram
• oc65ks, on Instagram

Anyone who has communicated with Ajiri under the names or on the accounts listed above, or who believes they may have been a victim of sextortion connected to this investigation, is asked to contact the Arvada Police Department at 720-898-7171 and reference case AR25004692.

Ajiri is next scheduled to appear in court on March 19 for a hearing on bail, court records show.

The teenager was last seen at 6:45 a.m. Sunday in the 6700 block of West 51st Avenue, CBI officials said in a .

Officials said she was found safe in an .

Chloe Rose Castro, a 29-year-old woman from Lakewood, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust, a felony, according to Jefferson County court records. The plea deal dropped a second child sex assault charge and one count of internet luring of a child from her case, court records show.

The woman faces an open-ended, or “indeterminate,” sentence that will last from a minimum of four years to a maximum of life in prison when she is sentenced on April 2, according to a from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Castro was arrested in November 2024 after the victim’s parents found “evidence of a sexual relationship” and reported Castro to the Arvada Police Department, prosecutors said in the release.

The parents told police that they found inappropriate social media messages between their child and Castro, according to an arrest affidavit. Police said the student attended an online school at the time, but he often met Castro behind the Apex Center — a recreation center in Arvada.

The unidentified student, who was younger than 15 when the assault happened, said Castro “really understood him” and that “she was the only person he could trust.” He said they had plans to move to California and New Mexico to “create a new life together,” according to the affidavit.

Castro and the student met outside of school for the first time in May 2024, police stated in the affidavit. They often met in a spot behind the recreation center, where they would kiss and touch each other, according to the document. They also met in Castro’s office at least once.

The two would text and exchange messages on Instagram, including nude photos, according to the arrest affidavit. They deleted the messages nightly out of fear of being caught, police said.

No other victims came forward after Castro’s arrest, according to the DA’s office.

The teen was considered endangered because he requires constant supervision and is unable to take care of himself, officials said in a missing juvenile alert.

He was reported missing at 11 a.m. Friday and found safe as of 12:50 p.m. Saturday, Arvada police said.

Officer Cody Haggard, who joined the department in 2024 and served District 4 patrol, was arrested on suspicion of simple assault, the release said. Details about the arrest were not provided by police.

Haggard was placed in an “off-line assignment” where he will remain while the case goes through the judicial process, the news release said.

The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of the incident will start once the criminal case is adjudicated, the release said. The Arvada Police Department is conducting the criminal investigation.

“The Denver Police Department is committed to transparency and accountability,” the release said. “When a Denver Police officer is arrested, DPD works to proactively share information in a timely manner, when possible. As with all arrests, the suspect is innocent until proven guilty.”