Becky Ann Vreeland

 

A 62-year-old grandmother from Oklahoma accused of brutally murdering her own 3-year-old granddaughter last year and leaving the child’s body to decompose inside a bin in her yard for several days has appeared in court where a judge ruled that the state’s case against her can move forward. Cleveland County Special Judge Scott F. Brockman ruled that there was sufficient evidence for the case against Becky Ann Vreeland to be bound over for trial. She is facing one count of first-degree murder and one count of desecration of a corpse in the June 2022 slaying of young Riley Lynn Nolan.

According to the initial release from the Oklahoma City Police Department, officers at about 2:22 p.m. on June 21, 2022 responded to a “trouble unknown call” at a home located in the 600 block of SW151 Street. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders learned there was a deceased child at the residence.

“Officers found the body of three-year-old Riley Nolan in a residential trash receptacle at the home. The child had obvious signs of trauma to her body.”

Investigators said that at the time of the incident, young Riley had been under the care of her grandmother, identified in the release as Vreeland. Police transported Vreeland to the department headquarters where she was interviewed and subsequently booked into the Cleveland County Jail on suspicion of murder.

Since her arrest, Vreeland has maintained that she had nothing to do with her granddaughter’s death, repeatedly claiming that Riley fell from a ladder in the backyard.

Disturbing new details about the grisly crime scene were revealed in witness testimony during Tuesday’s hearing. According to an OCPD homicide detective, Riley’s body was discovered inside of a recycling bin right outside of Vreeland’s home. The bin also contained the little girl’s toys and had been covered with two blankets, one of which depicted characters from the movie “Frozen.”

The detective reportedly explained that investigators located blood spatter throughout the home, including in the master bedroom, master bathroom, and several other areas of the home. A total of 28 swabs were taken from inside of the home and analyzed, many of which came back positive for Riley’s DNA.

Additionally, the detective testified that when searching the master bathroom, police found two small, circular indentations in the wall which “appear to be the size of a child’s head."

Last September, Vreeland said that she regularly kept Riley’s toys in the recycling bin in the back of the house. She also said that there was a pool ladder next to the bin, which she supposed Riley climbed up, then fallen off and died. Vreeland reportedly claimed that she found Riley dead when she woke up that morning. Vreeland told the station she did not call the authorities for fear they would take her other grandchildren away from her.

Furthermore, the detective who testified on Tuesday said that the ladder next to the recycling bin was missing its base and would immediately collapse if anyone tried to use it.

Vreeland’s formal arraignment hearing was scheduled for August 18.

Patricia Ricks

 

A 72-year-old North Carolina woman is accused of beating her 8-year-old granddaughter to death. Shortly after 4 p.m. on February 7th, deputies were notified that a child had been taken to the Emergency Room at Nash UNC Healthcare with severe injuries and pronounced dead upon arrival.


"Based on the investigation, it was determined that the 8-year-old juvenile was beaten so severely by the grandmother that she died from the injuries alleged in its statement. The child had severe injuries throughout her entire body and head."


Patricia Ricks was charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of felony child abuse with serious injury, police stated.


Ricks was taken to the sheriff's office where she made no statement and is currently being held without bond at the Nash County Detention Center. It was unclear whether she obtained an attorney to speak on her behalf.

Charlotte Simpson

The grandmother of a 6-month-old infant who died October 15th in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, has been charged with manslaughter in the baby’s death, authorities said Monday. Charlotte Simpson, 46, allegedly abused the infant, who arrived at DCH Hospital Friday via ambulance already dead, said Capt. Jack Kennedy of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office’s Violent Crimes Unit.

The Tuscaloosa County medical examiner told authorities Monday that the baby’s death “was indicative of abuse and would be deemed a homicide.” 

Simpson told authorities that she found the infant in its bed and not breathing when she called 911. Authorities said Simpson was alone with the baby at the time the infant sustained its fatal injuries. The 46-year-old grandmother was charged with one count of manslaughter and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail on $30,000 bond.

Foos Abdi Hashi

A 70-year-old Milpitas, California woman was arrested on suspicion of murder in the death of her 3-year-old grandson. Foos Abdi Hashi, the child’s maternal grandmother, was arrested in San Jose in mid April 2019.

Officials with the coroner’s office identified the boy as Ayub Hassan of Milpitas. Police would not say how he died. Police received a 911 call about an unresponsive child at a home on the 700 block of Luz Del Sol Loop in Milpitas. Officers and firefighters attempted life-saving efforts at the scene, before paramedics transported the child to a hospital, where Ayub was pronounced dead.

Hashi was booked into the Santa Clara County jail. The district attorney charged her with murder and two counts of child abuse. Ayub’s legal guardian was his aunt, and Hashi lived at the home with them and had been taking care of the at the time of his death.

Dorothy Flood

Police arrested Dorothy Flood, 55, on two counts of first degree murder after two minors were found dead in a home on the 2400 block of West Kessler Place 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4. According to the Pima County Sheriff, Northwest Fire District personnel responded to a medical call and, upon arrival, "they discovered an unresponsive adult female inside the residence. While providing medical care, they also discovered two children with obvious signs of trauma and determined they were dead. The female had symptoms of an apparent overdose and was transported to a local hospital."

The victims were identified as 8-year-old twins, Jaden and Jorden Webb. Flood was the grandmother and guardian of the boys. A source close to the family told authorities that the woman had taken care of her two grandsons since her daughter had committed suicide. Flood is currently being held without bond in the Pima County Adult Detention Center.

Beant Kaur Dhillon

In November of last year Beant Kaur Dhillon of Bakersfield, California, discovered that her 15 year-old daughter had given birth in the bathroom of their family home. The 43 year-old Dhillon later stated that she didn't want the shame of a bastard in the family and called on a relative to held dispose of the infant, whom they drowned.

After drowning the baby, Dhillon allegedly worked with the cousin to bury the body in the backyard. When the teen's father was notified about the baby, he allowed the boy to be buried and did not inform police or request medical treatment for his daughter. Dhillon was also charged with felony assault of a child with force likely to cause great bodily injury, resulting in death, and felony child abuse.

This month, Dhillon pleaded not guilty to the charges. Her trial is scheduled for later this year.

Carolyn Jones

The body of 21-month-old Royalty Marie Floyd was found at her grandmother's home in Shaw, Mississippi, stabbed and dead in a heated oven on Monday. The grandmother, 48-year-old Carolyn Jones, was charged on Tuesday with first-degree murder in the toddler's death. Royalty lived with Carolyn Jones while Veronica Jones, Royalty's mother, lived elsewhere.

Royalty's body was sent to the State Crime Lab where it will be determined if she died before or after she was placed into the heated oven.