The sinister story behind Arkansas mother's bruised and beaten mugshot
An Arkansas mother whose face was heavily bruised in her mugshot was sentenced to 40 years in connection with the death of her five-year-old son, whose body was found under her home's floorboards.
Ashley Rolland, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor on August 8.
In December 2022, the body of her son, Blu Rolland, was discovered underneath the floorboards of their family home in the small town of Moro on what would have been the boy's sixth birthday.
Blu is believed to have been murdered three months before his corpse was found.
An Arkansas mother whose face was heavily bruised in her mugshot was sentenced to 40 years in connection with the death of her five-year-old son, whose body was found under her home's floorboards
Blu is believed to have been murdered three months before his corpse was found
Rolland's boyfriend, Nathan Bridges, 34, killed Blu after the five-year-old bit his finger.
Bridges did so by savagely sticking the helpless boy's head in a 'water-filled toilet until he drowned him,' according to Rolland's affidavit.
Rolland told investigators that she remained in the living room while her boyfriend was in the bathroom with her son.
When Bridges left the bathroom, she 'entered the bathroom and saw [Blu] struggling to breath[e], and his body was limp.'
Afterwards, Bridges 'cut a hole in their wooden floor, dug a hole in the ground, and buried [Blu] under the house.'
Rolland's boyfriend, Nathan Bridges, 34, killed Blu after the five-year-old bit his finger
In December 2022, the body of her son, Blu Rolland, was discovered underneath the floorboards of their family home in the small town of Moro
On December 16, 2022, Rolland's parents visited the house to pick up their grandchildren.
Rolland emerged from the house with her daughter, but told her parents that Blu was not at home.
The grandparents observed serious scabbing on top of the girl's head, which Ashley dismissed as an 'allergic reaction,' according to a probable cause affidavit.
At this point, the grandparents contacted the Lee County Sheriff's Office for assistance.
When first responders arrived, they were met by Rolland's father, who told them that his daughter had informed him that Blu was 'dead inside the home.'
Deputies located where Blu was reported to be buried and 'found newly nailed-down boards'
Deputies then located where Blu was reported to be buried and 'found newly nailed-down boards,' the affidavit stated.
When they removed the boards, 'they found disturbed earth underneath.' After sifting through the top layer of dirt, the deputies 'found a child's flip-flops' and a 'red and blue blanket.'
'Removing the top layer of the earth released the pungent odor of decay.'
Upon this discovery, the Lee County Sheriff's Office called in the Arkansas State Police to complete the investigation.
Ashley Rolland, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor. Last month, Bridges pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and battery
Detectives soon found a small human body swathed in several layers of plastic bags and a blanket. The Arkansas State Crime Lab later confirmed that the body was Blu's.
Police arrested Bridges and Rolland, who was placed in the St. Francis County jail, where she appeared with a black eye and bruises on her face.
Authorities also discovered that Roland's six-year-old daughter exhibited signs of injuries, saying that she had what seemed to be scalp burns, as well as other signs of abuse.
The 30-year-old mother has said that Bridges is at fault for her daughter's injuries.
In her affidavit, Rolland stated that her boyfriend held the girl's 'head and upper torso under hot water in the bathtub' as a 'punishment for her behavior issues.'
Blu's mother originally faced a capital murder charge, but her lawyers argued that she was 'merely present' at the house when Bridges killed the boy
Blu's mother originally faced a capital murder charge, but her lawyers argued that she was 'merely present' at the house when Bridges killed the boy.
On August 8, she pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor in Lee County Circuit Court.
Last month, Bridges pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and battery.
He was sentenced to 60 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
