Authorities are currently searching for a 5-year-old girl who has been missing since 2022. The child’s mother, Ashley Rowland, 39, was arrested and charged with child abandonment after she reportedly confessed to trading her daughter for drugs two years prior.
The case came to light when the Oklahoma Department of Human Services was requested to pick up the child in April 2023 but was unable to locate her. Upon tracing the mother to her residence in Moore, she initially claimed that the child was with her father in Georgia.
However, further investigation by Child Protective Services revealed inconsistencies in Rowland’s account. Upon questioning, she allegedly admitted to giving her then 2-year-old daughter to a man named “Carlos” in exchange for methamphetamine.
Rowland suggested that “Carlos” might be the child’s father, but she was uncertain. She also believed that he was planning to travel to Mexico at the time. The identity of the missing girl has not been disclosed by the police.
Authorities are actively looking for the child, who would now be 5 years old. However, they have expressed uncertainty about her current status and whether she is still alive.
The Department of Human Services refrained from commenting on the ongoing investigation but described the situation as “heartbreaking and unimaginable.” Rowland is currently detained at the Oklahoma County Detention Center with a bond set at $3,000.