A three-year-old girl is found dead in her grandmother’s trash receptacle

On June 21, 2022, at 2:22 p.m., the Oklahoma City Police Department responded to an unknown call saying there was a dead child at the home of Becky Ann Vreeland. The authorities found the body of three-year-old Riley Lynn Nolan in the home’s backyard trash receptacle.

Authorities reported that the child’s body had “obvious signs of trauma.”

According to Master Sergeant Gary Knight, Riley Nolan had been deceased for a while. The murder had not just taken place.     

The 61-year-old grandmother had recently gotten custody of Riley Lynn Nolan, according to the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Vreeland was taken into custody at the scene and interviewed at police headquarters. Following the interview, Vreeland was booked into the Cleveland County Jail, facing a murder complaint.

The grandfather informed the detective that Becky Ann Vreeland admitted that an accident had happened and that she found their grandchild in the trash bin on June 18 but did not report it.

KFOR reports that the affidavit stated that Vreeland woke up, realized Riley was not in her bed, went to the backyard, and saw a six-foot ladder next to the trash bin with the child’s body inside.

However, the other grandchildren say they saw Riley the next morning, with a bruise on her forehead, and she was unresponsive.  

The preliminary exam of Riley Lynn Nolan reported that she had three separate skull fractures. The skull fractures were not consistent with the alleged fall that Vreeland claims occurred.  

As a result, Becky Ann Vreeland has been charged with first-degree murder and child neglect. The grandmother is being held without bond.