Reports indicate that the two-year-old girl from Oklahoma, London Kerr, was shot with a BB gun and subjected to abuse with a paddle labeled “last resort.”
Ashley Seajay Roland, 39, and her boyfriend Joshua Denton, 40, were taken into custody on August 5 in relation to the mistreatment of young London Kerr, according to local news sources.
Roland admitted to authorities that she handed the little girl over to a man referred to as “Carlos” in exchange for drugs. This man claimed he intended to take his children to Mexico.
Before leaving London behind, both Roland and Denton reportedly inflicted severe physical punishment on her.
Witness statements from Roland’s teenage daughters allege that the couple shot the child with a BB gun, attacked her with wooden paddles, and confined her in a closet. A wooden paddle marked with the words “last resort” was discovered during a police search of the home.
Denton’s teenage daughters also told investigators that he had forced London to consume hot peppers and had even poured hot sauce into her eyes. Additionally, one of the girls accused Denton of past sexual abuse.
Authorities have resumed searches for London, who is approaching her sixth birthday this September.
“Time is crucial, and we still hope for a positive outcome, but we need to proceed carefully, which makes it quite challenging,” Dillon Quirk remarked to local media.
According to Roland, when she transferred London to the woman who dealt drugs, the child did not have any identification documents.
The child was first reported missing after an unsuccessful effort by the Human Services Department to locate her in April 2023, as noted by local sources.
Denton has been charged with nine felonies, which include six counts of child abuse, as well as charges of forced sodomy and indecent behavior with a child.
Roland has prior child abuse-related charges filed in the Oklahoma County District Court from last year.
