August 13, 2024
MARIANNA, Ark. — On Thursday, August 8, 2024, Ashely Rolland, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of Permitting Abuse of a Minor in Lee County Circuit Court in connection with the 2022 death of her 5-year-old son in the Moro community, west of Marianna in Lee County. Rolland was sentenced to 40 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
The body of Blu Rolland, 5, was uncovered beneath a floor inside his family’s home on December 16, 2022, the day he would have turned 6. 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.
ASP arrested Nathan Bridges, 34, and Rolland and transported the couple to the Lee County Detention Center.
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.
