by OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Heartbreaking new allegations have surfaced regarding the life of a missing Oklahoma toddler who disappeared in 2022 after her mother allegedly traded her to a drug dealer in exchange for methamphetamine.
Authorities say Ashley Rowland, 39, is accused of selling her then 2-year-old daughter, London Kerr, to a man known only as “Carlos.” While the little girl remains missing, investigators have uncovered disturbing details about the abuse she allegedly suffered before her disappearance.
Rowland is now charged with two counts of enabling child abuse by injury and engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses. Her boyfriend, Joshua Denton, 40, faces six counts of child abuse, as well as charges of forcible sodomy, lewd or indecent acts with a child, and engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses.
Disturbing Allegations from Denton’s Own Children
According to a probable cause affidavit, Denton’s 15-year-old son told investigators that Denton had hit London with a wooden paddle labeled “The Last Resort” and shot her with a BB gun, leaving visible marks. Police say they later recovered both the paddle and the BB gun from a storage unit linked to the couple.
The teen also alleged that Denton abused him and his older brother, duct-taping him to a chair, whipping him with a belt, and threatening to kill him if he spoke to authorities. Rowland reportedly witnessed these incidents and did nothing to intervene.
The boy told police the last time he saw London, she was in a car with Denton and Rowland. His mother allegedly told him to “say goodbye to London” before driving away, claiming they were taking her to her biological father’s house.
Reports of Extreme Abuse Against London
Denton’s younger children gave similarly horrific accounts, telling police their father poured hot sauce into London’s eyes multiple times, locked her in a closet, and forced her to bite a hot pepper. His 8-year-old daughter also accused him of sexually abusing her.
When questioned in November 2024, Rowland told police that “Carlos” was London’s biological father. She claimed she met him in April 2022 in a parking lot and handed London over without identification papers, saying she had no way of contacting him.
Investigators, however, disputed her account. They determined Rowland was in Georgia at the time London would have been conceived and with another boyfriend, believed to be the child’s real father. Police could not locate anyone matching the name and details she provided.
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Failed Rescue Attempts and Lies to Authorities
In April 2023, Oklahoma Department of Human Services agents were assigned to take custody of London but could not locate her. They later found Rowland living in Moore, Oklahoma, yet she still refused to reveal the child’s whereabouts.
At first, Rowland told investigators that Carlos was a meth dealer who took her daughter in exchange for drugs. Later, she admitted this was a lie, further complicating the case.
Oklahoma DHS has described the situation as “heartbreaking and unimaginable.”
Sgt. Dillon Quirk of the Oklahoma City Police Department emphasized the urgency, saying, “We don’t have very credible information from the people that assumed responsibility or had custody of this child… time is of the essence.”
The Search Continues
If London is alive, she will turn six years old next month. The Oklahoma City Police Department is now leading the investigation, believing she was last seen in their jurisdiction.
Rowland and Denton remain in the Cleveland County Jail without bond as the search intensifies.
What are your thoughts on this heartbreaking case? Do you think enough is being done to locate London Kerr? Share your views in the comments on ibwhsmag.com.
