An Arkansas man pleaded guilty this week to the 2022 murder of his girlfriend’s infant son, whose body was discovered buried under the floorboards of his family’s home, authorities said. On Monday, July 15, Nathan Bridges, 34, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of 5-year-old Blu Rolland, according to a Arkansas State Police StatementBridges was later sentenced to 60 years in prison.
Blu’s body was found Dec. 16, 2022, beneath the floorboards of the Moro, Arkansas, home located about 85 miles east of Little Rock. The discovery coincided with what would have been the boy’s sixth birthday, police said.
Arkansas State Police initially reported that the boy died from injuries he had likely suffered at the home about three months earlier. However, an arrest affidavit indicated that Blu drowned in a toilet in the home, as PEOPLE reported.
According to the affidavit, Blu’s mother, Ashley RollandRolland initially told officers that Blu was not home when they arrived to perform his civic duty. However, he later allegedly confessed to his father that Blu was dead inside the house and that his remains were under the newly nailed floorboards. Rolland claimed the boy had collapsed and died, according to the affidavit.
When officers 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 dirt, according to the affidavit. In an interview with detectives, Rolland claimed Blu died in September after biting Bridges’ finger. As punishment, Bridges repeatedly stuffed the boy’s head into the toilet until he choked, according to the affidavit.
Both Rolland and Bridges were arrested and charged in connection with Blu’s death. While Bridges pleaded guilty, Rolland, 30, is still awaiting trial in Lee County. He faces multiple charges, including capital murder, permitting child abuse, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a minor and assault. In the wake of Blu’s death, a GoFundMe Campaign It was created to help support his grandmother with the funeral and other expenses.
If you suspect child abuse has occurred, call Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in more than 170 languages.