Her first fitness competition was the NPC South Carolina State in 1995, where she placed first.

In 2005, her official website biography said she was a graduate of the University of South Carolina and that her hometown was Greenville, South Carolina.

On December 14, 2005 the burnt corpse of Melissa James, a woman who was in a sexual relationship with Titus and lived in Ryan and Titus’ home, was discovered inside a Jaguar car belonging to Kelly Ryan. The couple went into hiding together and were arrested along with suspected accomplice, Anthony Gross, after a nine-day investigation.

While awaiting trial, in April 2006, Ryan’s mother died of a heart attack said to have been precipitated by stress.

On May 31, 2008, rather than going through a trial, Ryan and Titus pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Ryan plead guilty to one count of arson, entering an Alford plea to one count of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in significant bodily harm. She was sentenced to two consecutive terms of 3–13 years in prison.

She was married to bodybuilder Craig Titus. In prison she filed for divorce, which became final in December 2009.

On December 23, 2011, the Nevada Parole Board granted Ryan parole on the assault charges. She remained incarcerated to begin serving time for the arson charge. On September 2, 2014, Ryan was denied parole on the second charge.

On October 24, 2017 Ryan was released on parole after serving a nearly 12-year prison sentence at a Las Vegas area prison, having pleaded guilty to reduced charges in 2008 in connection with the death of Melissa James.