Arkansas mom sentenced to 40 years after son’s body found under floor

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Nearly two years after the body of a five-year-old boy was found underneath the floor of an Arkansas home, the child’s mother has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for his death.

Ashley Rolland, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting abuse of a minor in Lee County Circuit Court, according to Arkansas State Police.

The body of Blu Rolland, 5, was found by Lee County Deputies on December 16, 2022, the day he would have turned 6. News of the child’s death and reports the boy may have died as many as three months earlier sent shockwaves through the small town of Moro.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police’s (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division. Special Agents also investigated injuries sustained by her 6-year-old daughter, who lived in the home west of Marianna.

Investigators said the young girl had what appeared to be scalp burns and other signs of abuse.

ASP arrested Nathan Bridges, 34, and Rolland and transported the couple to the Lee County Detention Center.

When Ashley Rolland was booked into the St. Francis County jail, she had a black eye and other bruises to her face. She and Bridges were both charged with capital murder.

On Monday, July 15, 2024, Bridges pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree battery in the 2022 death of the 5-year-old.

Bridges was sentenced to 60 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

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