An Oklahoma mother was arrested last week for child abandonment after allegedly giving her toddler away to her meth dealer two years ago.
Ashley Rowland, 39, admitted to giving her 2-year-old daughter to her drug dealer, KOCO reported. Rowland told Moore Police she hasn't seen her daughter since April 2022, when she handed the child over to a man known as "Carlos," who may be in Mexico, according to court documents.
Rowland was initially released from the Oklahoma County Detention Center on a $3,000 bond. A judge had ordered the bond raised to $100,000, but she was released before the paperwork was processed. Authorities are now issuing an arrest warrant for her to be taken back into custody.
Joe Dorman, CEO of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, expressed frustration.
"Far too many of these kids fall through the cracks," Dorman told KOCO. "They need to do what they can to make sure that she is detained and assisting in trying to locate this child."
The investigation began in April 2023 when Oklahoma Human Services was asked to pick the child but was unsuccessful, according to police.
"After two years, you just don't know. The fact this went unreported – where were family members? Where were neighbors?" Dorman asked. "Anybody who suspected this child was in danger, by law, was supposed to pick up the phone and make that call."
"The stories you hear on these cases, there's never a good outcome," Dorman added. "No matter what happens, the child, if found, is going to undergo years of therapy at best."
The Oklahoma City Police Department is now assisting the Moore Police Department in the ongoing search for the child, who is now 5-years-old.
Officials have yet to release the child's name or a photo to the public.
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