Man Pleads Guilty To Drowning Girlfriend’s Son in Toilet & Burying Body Under Floorboards
PHOTO: ARKANSAS STATE POLICE/FACEBOOK
An Arkansas man has pleaded guilty this week to the 2022 murder of his girlfriend’s young son, whose body was discovered buried under the floorboards of their family home, authorities said. On Monday, July 15, Nathan Bridges, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree battery in the death of 5-year-old Blu Rolland, according to a statement from Arkansas State Police. Bridges was subsequently sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Blu’s body was found on December 16, 2022, under the floorboards of the Moro, Ark., home, located about 85 miles east of Little Rock. The discovery coincided with what would have been the boy’s 6th birthday, police said.
Arkansas State Police initially reported that the boy died from injuries likely sustained in the home about three months prior. However, an arrest affidavit stated that Blu was drowned in a toilet in the home, as PEOPLE reported.
According to the affidavit, Blu’s mother, Ashley Rolland, initially told deputies that Blu was not at home when they arrived to perform a civil standby. However, she later allegedly confessed to her father that Blu was dead inside the home and that his remains were under the newly nailed floorboards. Rolland claimed the boy had collapsed and died, the affidavit states.
When deputies returned to the home, they found a child’s flip-flops and a blanket under the floorboards, along with the smell of decay after sifting through the top layer of soil, according to the affidavit. In an interview with detectives, Rolland claimed that Blu died in September after biting Bridges’ finger. As punishment, Bridges repeatedly stuck the boy’s head into the toilet until he drowned, the affidavit alleges.
Both Rolland and Bridges were arrested and charged in connection with Blu’s death. While Bridges has pleaded guilty, Rolland, 30, is still awaiting trial in Lee County. She faces multiple charges including capital murder, permitting child abuse, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a minor, and battery. In the wake of Blu’s death, a GoFundMe campaign was created to help support his grandmother with funeral and other expenses.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
