An Arkansas man pleaded guilty this week to the 2022 murder of his girlfriend’s small kid, whose body was found buried beneath the floorboards of their family home, according to prosecutors.
According to Arkansas State Police, Nathan Bridges, 34, pled guilty to first-degree murder and violence in the death of 5-year-old Blu Rolland on Monday, July 15. Bridges was ultimately sentenced to 60 years in jail.
Blu’s body was discovered on December 16, 2022, under the floorboards of a residence in Moro, Ark., roughly 85 miles east of Little Rock, according to police. According to investigators, the boy would have turned six on that day. Arkansas State Police had indicated that the boy died from injuries sustained in the residence about three months ago. Still, an arrest affidavit stated that the boy drowned in a toilet in the home.
According to the document PEOPLE previously read, the boy’s mother, Ashley Rolland, initially informed deputies that Blu was not at home when they arrived to conduct a civil standby.
According to the affidavit, she later confessed to her father that the boy had died inside the house and that his remains were found beneath the newly nailed floorboards. According to the affidavit, she claimed to have informed her father that the youngster had fallen and died.
When deputies returned to the house in the hopes of finding the youngster alive, they discovered a child’s flip-flops and a blanket beneath the floorboards, as well as the odor of decay after sifting through the top layer of earth, according to the affidavit.
In one interview with detectives, Rolland allegedly stated Blu died in September after biting Bridges’ finger. According to the affidavit, Bridges punished the little child by repeatedly sticking his head into the toilet until he drowned.
Rolland and Bridges were later arrested and charged in connection with Blu’s death.
While Bridges has pleaded guilty, Rolland (30) is still awaiting trial in Lee County, according to authorities. She is charged with capital murder, condoning child abuse, abusing a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, endangering the welfare of a minor, and battery.
It’s unclear whether she’s entered a plea, and PEOPLE couldn’t immediately find an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
Following the boy’s death, a GoFundMe effort was launched to help Blu’s grandma with burial and other expenses.