The Misery Machine - The Story of Blu Rolland

Starting point is 00:00:00 On December 16, 2022, Karen Rowland requested assistance from deputies with the Lee County Sheriff's Office. The call was in regards to picking up her grandkids, six-year-old Taylor, and five-year-old Blue. Her son Dustin had previously been married to Taylor and Blue's mother, 28-year-old Ashley Rowland. The couple were wed in December of 2015 and divorced in September of 2021. Ashley was granted primary custody and was responsible for coordinating Dustin's visit. with Karen acting as an intermediary. However, visits ended after Ashley's new boyfriend, 33-year-old Nathan Bridges, pulled a gun on Dustin.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Additionally, Dustin had filed a complaint on September 14th claiming that Ashley had refused to allow visitation as ordered by the court. But soon, Ashley filed her own complaint, alleging that her ex-husband had failed to pay child support or to show up for visits sober. Dustin denied the allegations saying that he was, had paid child support from the beginning of the custody battle and has been trying to fight for his kids. After the gun incident, Karen and Dustin were advised by a lawyer not to go to Ashley's

Starting point is 00:01:11 home. The 57-year-old grandmother fought for custody and through a court order was able to obtain visitation rights. On the 16th of December, it was time to go get her grandbabies. After all, it was Blue 6th birthday. But when they arrived at Ashley's home located at 211,4,000, Front Street in Morrow, Arkansas, things immediately seemed to miss. According to Karen, quote, I heard Taylor whimpering. Of course, I didn't know what was going on, and I busted through the door myself because I didn't like the whimpering. Sounded like she was hurting, end quote. Six-year-old Taylor had apparent injuries that had scabbed over on the top of her head, to which Ashley claimed came from an allergic reaction. The little girl's hair had been cut,

Starting point is 00:01:57 and according to Karen, she initially thought that Taylor was blue based on how mild Norris she had become. In fact, the little girl only weighed 36 pounds, which according to the CDC, is on the very low end of normal. Furthermore, compared to a picture of a healthy Taylor posted on Karen's social media, it was easy to tell that the little girl had not been eating. However, five-year-old blue was nowhere to be found. According to Ashley, he was off staying with family and friends.

Starting point is 00:02:30 In the interim, Taylor was rushed to Forest City Hospital, where staff determined that she had been severely burned. The little girl had been suffering from third-degree burns to her arms, chest, and feet. Taylor told her grandmother that her mother's boyfriend, Nathan, had thrown boiling water on her. She was then transported to Lebonne her hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for further treatment. According to Karen, quote, she had puncture wounds like scissors had poked through her head. It looked like she'd been strangled around the neck, bite marks on her legs, several fractured

Starting point is 00:03:03 ribs we found out, and an old injury to her leg that had been fractured before that didn't grow back correctly, end quote. In addition, Taylor could barely walk, and her clothing was soaked in urine. The little girl's first request was water and something to eat. Karen stated, quote, I told her that she was safe, and just the look on her face was sheer terror, end quote. It was then that the grandmother reached back out to the Lee County Sheriff's Office for help with regards to the whereabouts of Little Blue. She had a gut feeling that based on the state of Taylor, who was not in the care of family or friends. Meanwhile, concerned family members went to Ashley's home in Morrow and confronted the mother in her boyfriend.

Starting point is 00:03:50 She eventually confessed to her father, 62-year-old Tim Childers, that Blue was not in the care of family and friends, nor would he be celebrating his sixth birthday. Blue, Avin Rowland, was dead, and his remains were located in the small home. Underneath the newly nailed hallway floorboards, the deputies found a small flip-flop and a red and blue blankets. When they removed the top layer of soil,

Starting point is 00:04:16 they were met with the pungent odor of decay. When they realized what they realized what they were, were dealing with, the deputies called in the state police for assistance. Soon, an unidentified mass that was believed to be a small human body wrapped in multiple layers of plastic bags was found. The remains, believed to be Little Blue, were transferred to the Arkansas State Crime Lab. According to Kermit Chanel, the director of the crime lab, the medical examiner will release the cause and manner of death in 30 to 60 days. Now based on the state of decomposition, Blue's tiny body had likely been there for months.

Starting point is 00:04:56 Ashley told law enforcement that Blue died on September 9th, just five days prior to his father Dustin filing a custody complaint. The little boy was allegedly killed as punishment for biting Nathan's finger. According to Ashley, this angered her new boyfriend, and he proceeded to hold Blue's head in the toilet, which caused him to drown. She claimed that he left the bathroom, and when she walked in, her son's body lay limp on the floor. She then said that Nathan cut a hole in their wooden hallway floor,

Starting point is 00:05:28 dug a hole in the ground, and buried blue in it. Additionally, Ashley told police that Nathan also caused injuries to her daughter Taylor, saying that he held her head under hot water as punishment for her bad behavior. However, Nathan's ex-wife, Rebecca Fighting, told police that she went to talk to Ashley when she heard that something was wrong. Rebecca and Nathan were divorced in October of 2018, but they shared two kids. Ashley told Rebecca that Blue had left the bathroom with a swollen face

Starting point is 00:06:00 and that he was foaming at the mouth before collapsing and dying. According to Rebecca, Ashley told her that she was the one who buried Blue because she didn't know what to do. Ashley and Nathan were arrested the following day. The two were charged with capital homicide, abusive a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a minor and battery.

Starting point is 00:06:24 Ashley was also charged with two felony counts of permitting CA. At booking, Ashley sported a black eye. They are currently being held without bond and are scheduled to reappear in court on January 23, 2023. According to sources, Nathan is currently being held in the Lee County Jail, while Ashley is being held in the St. Francis County Jail. Unofficial sources have claimed that Ashley had been moved due to being attacked by another inmate. But that information is just that unofficial.

Starting point is 00:06:57 News of Blue's death sent shockwaves through Moro, Arkansas. Just an hour east of Memphis, the community boasts a population of just 200 residents. Word travels quickly in a town that small. Blue's father, Dustin, was understandably heartbroken over the whole ordeal. He told reporters, quote, I wish I could have been there a long time ago, but it was her holding me back from my children. I don't want anybody thinking that this was my fault.

Starting point is 00:07:29 I love my kids very much, end quote. A friend of the family, Anita Whitby, set up a go-fund me campaign to support Taylor's recovery and her future. Karen said that she will use some of the money to pay for updates to her home where the little girl will live with her and her father, Dustin. The house is in need of updates so that way she will be able to maintain a healthy home for her granddaughter. In addition, Taylor's recovery is going to require a lot of therapy, understandably. As of the date of this recording, the campaign has raised just over half of its $50,000 goal.

Starting point is 00:08:02 A funeral service was held for Blue on January 2nd, 2023 at the Morgan Funeral Home Chapel in Forest City, Arkansas. In the little boy's obituary, his loved ones made it very clear on, how they felt. They noted that Blue was survived by his father, Dustin Roland, his sister Taylor Elizabeth Rowland, and his grandparents Karen Rowland, Tim Childers, Kimberly Christofferson, and Walter McGee. He was pre-deceased by his mother, Ashley Marie Childers. To the Roland family, Ashley is dead and no longer shares their family name. If she is found guilty, the punishment for capital homicide in the state of Arkansas can be death.

The Misery Machine - The Story of Blu Rolland

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