Home where Ashley Roland’s son was found dead.
An Arkansas mother and another man have been arrested after police say they found a six-year-old boy dead, buried under a hallway floor of a home. The boy’s sister, also age six, is still alive but had to be taken to the hospital for what are believed to be burns to her scalp, authorities said.
“Based on initial findings, it’s believed the boy died from injuries sustained in the home, possibly three months ago,” authorities said. “The state medical examiner will determine the manner and cause of death.”
Authorities arrested their mother Ashley Roland, 28, and a man named Nathan Bridges, 33, for charges of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and endangering the welfare of a minor.
“This is a small, quiet town,” neighbor Glenda Farrell told WMC. “Nothing like this has happened around here.”
The situation turned up Friday night in Lee County.
“Special agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division were called to the scene by Lee County sheriff’s deputies about 10:45 PM,” authorities wrote. “Agents are also investigating injuries, believed to be burns to the scalp, sustained by a 6 year-old girl who also lived in the same home located in the Moro community west of Marianna.”
Authorities took the young survivor to a hospital, where she is in stable condition. Roland and Bridges were taken to the Lee County Jail.
“It’s devastating,” Farrell reportedly said. “Because it’s just out of nowhere. Right here, in Christmas time? It’s surreal.”
She said she saw no signs that something like this was going to happen.
“Sometimes you see kids outside playing, but they really kept to themselves,” she said. “You’d see them coming and going but really, nothing to be concerning, that would make you think anything of that magnitude was going on.”
[Screenshot via WMC]