Grandmother accused of killing 3-year-old, leaving body in trash can takes plea

By Addison Kliewer

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    CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A grandmother accused of killing her 3-year-old granddaughter and leaving her body in a trash can for days took a plea of no contest.

Becky Vreeland, who was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Riley Nolan, took a plea to spend 45 years in prison. She will be required to serve 85% of the sentence before being eligible for parole, according to the Cleveland County District Attorney’s Office.

By the time she is eligible for parole, she will be 99 years old.

Vreeland has said the death of her granddaughter was an accident.

Nolan was found dead in a trash can at Vreeland’s Cleveland County home in June 2022. The grandmother was caring for Nolan and her other grandchildren while the kids’ parents served time in jail.

Yukon closer to getting Route 66 attraction with food trucks, live music and more Vreeland told investigators she kept toys in a trash bin in the backyard with a ladder next to it for the children to retrieve them. She said Nolan was attempting to do this when the 3-year-old fell inside.

Blood stains were found in a utility room and bathroom inside the home, according to police. A report by the medical examiner found that the child had three separate skull fractures consistent with blunt force trauma.

Vreeland said she never called the police because she feared they would take away the other children. Nolan was found in the trash bin three days after she died by Vreeland’s ex-husband, according to court documents.

A no-contest plea means Vreeland accepted punishment for the crime without admitting wrongdoing.

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