The shocking and tragic story of a woman whose boyfriend fatally drowned her 5-year-old son in a toilet
A 30-year-old Arkansas mother, Ashley Rolland, has pled guilty following the drowning death of her son.
Ashley Rolland received a sentence of 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty on August 8 to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor. Her boyfriend fatally drowned her 5-year-old son in a toilet as punishment and injured her 6-year-old daughter in 2022, according to State Police.
According to an affidavit (via NBC) in December 2022, Lee County deputies responded to a home on Front Street, where Rolland brought out her daughter. The child had apparent injuries on her head that had scabbed over. The mother claimed her son, Blu Rolland, was not at the residence.
The daughter was transported to Forrest City Hospital, where staff determined she had been severely burned.
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According to the affidavit, Rolland’s mother told deputies that Blu was possibly deceased inside the defendant’s home. That’s when authorities entered the residence and found the boy under the floorboards, wrapped in layers of plastic bags. He was found on December 16, 2022 — what would have been his sixth birthday.
Arkansas State Police announced that, “based on initial findings, it’s believed the boy died from injuries sustained in the home. Rolland reportedly told police her son died three months earlier, on Sept. 9, 2022.
According to the affidavit, Blu allegedly “angered her boyfriend, Nathan Bridges, by biting his finger when Bridges stuck it in” his mouth. As punishment, Bridges reportedly drowned the child in the toilet.
Rolland admitted she had entered the bathroom, where and saw her son struggling to breathe, nothing that his body appeared limp. She also told investigators that it was Bridges who buried her son under the floorboards after his death.
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As for her daughter’s injuries, Rolland allegedly those were also caused by Bridges when he held the girl’s “head and upper torso under hot water in the bathtub.” Rolland’s daughter reportedly struggles with behavioral issues, and Bridges would use hot water as punishment.
According to state police, both Rolland and Bridges were initially charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a minor.
While Rolland was handed down a 40-year sentence, Bridges pleaded guilty in July to first-degree murder and first-degree battery, and was sentenced to 60 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
As we read the shocking details of this heartbreaking story, it serves as a reminder of the cruelty and darkness that can exist in our world. It also highlights the importance of vigilance and protection for our children, who are the most vulnerable members of our society. Let this story be a call to action to be more aware of the signs of abuse and to speak up when we suspect that a child may be in danger.
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