An Arkansas man charged with drowning his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son in a toilet two years ago pleaded guilty this week to first degree murder and first degree battery.
Nathan Bridges, 34, was promptly sentenced to 60 years in prison for the death of Blu Rolland, WMC reported.
The boy was found buried under the floor of his home on December 16, 2022, after the boy’s grandparents called for deputies when they came to pick up Blu and his sister from Ashley Rolland’s home, an affidavit said. The mother brought out her 6-year-old daughter but said Blu was not at home. The little girl had scabbing on top of her head, which Ashley Rolland said was an “allergic reaction.”
Nathan Bridges Affidavit by kc wildmoon on Scribd
When deputies arrived, Rolland’s father told them that Ashley Rolland had said Blue was “dead inside the home and described where he was located.”
“Deputies located where Blu was reported to be and found newly nailed-down boards,” the affidavit says. “Deputies removed the boards and found disturbed earth underneath. Deputies removed the top layer of the earth and found a child’s flip-flop shoes and a red and blue blanket. Removing the top layer of the earth released the pungent odor of decay.”
The deputies called in state investigators, who executed a search warrant and found the boy’s body.
Ashley Rolland told investigators that Bridges killed the boy three months earlier as “punishment” for biting his finger, as CrimeOnline reported.
Rolland also told detectives he was responsible for her daughter’s severe burn injuries. Bridges held the girl under scalding hot water “as punishment for her behavior,” the affidavit said.
Rolland has also been charged with capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and endangering the welfare of a minor. She is still awaiting trial.
Taylor Rolland, Ashley Rolland’s mother, told WMC she had reported her daughter to the Department of Human Services multiple times, but nothing ever came of it.
