Grandmother Arrested After Police Find 3-Year-Old Granddaughter's Body In Trash Can

An Oklahoma grandmother has been arrested after her three-year-old granddaughter’s lifeless body was found in a garbage bin outside her home.

The suspect, 60-year-old Becky Ann Vreeland was arrested and charged for the murder of her granddaughter, Riley Nolan.

A press release from the Oklahoma City Police Department said officers arrived at Vreeland’s home on Southwest 151st Street on Tuesday afternoon, June 21, after receiving a 911 call from inside the home.

"Upon arrival, officers were told there was a deceased child at the residence," the press release states.

The responding officers found the toddler’s body in a residential trash receptacle at the home.

The cause of death remains unclear at this time, however, police said the child had "obvious signs of trauma to her body".

“Officers found clear signs of trauma to the child’s body. The child had been dead for a period of time at least. It hadn’t just happened," said MSgt. Gary Knight, KFOR reports.

Vreeland, who had recently taken custody of the child, was questioned by the police.

According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Vreeland told police she woke up Saturday morning, June 18, and did not find Nolan in her bed.

Vreeland claimed she then went to the backyard and found her granddaughter dead in the trash can.

She said she did not call 911 or inform anybody about the gruesome discovery until Monday, because she wanted her son, who was set to be released from jail on child neglect charges on June 18, to have a normal Father's Day with his other children.

But Nolan's grandfather found out and called 911 on Tuesday afternoon.

Police spoke to Nolan's young siblings, who recalled seeing her in bed Saturday morning with a purple eye and a bruised forehead. They tried waking her up but she reportedly did not respond.

According to the court documents, Vreeland used a "whooping stick" made from a wooden bed leg on her grandchildren.

Investigators also found blood stains in a utility room and in Vreeland's bathroom.

The Medical Examiner says Nolan suffered three separate skull fractures.

Vreeland was arrested at the scene. She has been charged with first-degree murder and child neglect and is currently being held without bond at Cleveland County Jail in Oklahoma.

Neighbor, Marsha Brannum, told KFOR that she wished she had "paid more attention".

"I could have been some more assistance for her if she was having trouble... She seemed like a very hardworking grandmother, and I could hear her play with the children in the backyard. I wish I had paid more attention," Brannum said.

This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Oklahoma City Homicide Tip-Line at (405) 297-1200.