6-year-old boy found buried in Arkansas home; mother, man arrested on murder charges

The body of a 6-year-old boy was found buried Friday in a house in rural Arkansas, authorities said. The victim’s mother and another man have been arrested on murder charges.

The boy’s body was discovered buried under a hallway floor of the home, which is located in the small eastern Arkansas town of Moro in Lee County, Arkansas State Police reported Saturday.   

The boy’s 6-year-old sister was also found in the home with what were believed to be burns to her scalp, state police said.

After making the discovery, Lee County Sheriff’s deputies dispatched for state police special agents to come to the home late Friday night.

Investigators believe the boy may have died from injuries he sustained in the home three months prior to his body being found, state police said. His name was not immediately released.

The mother of both children, 28-year-old Ashley Roland, and another man, 33-year-old Nathan Bridges, were arrested on charges of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence and endangering the welfare of a minor.

The boy’s sister was taken to a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for treatment, and was in stable condition at last report, state police disclosed.

Bridges’ relationship to Roland and the victim was not provided. The exact circumstances which precipitated the boy’s discovery were unclear.