Oklahoma City, OK – Shocking new allegations have emerged in the case of a missing Oklahoma toddler whose mother allegedly traded her to a drug dealer for methamphetamine. Authorities say the child, London Kerr, has been missing since 2022, and investigators now believe she endured months of severe abuse before vanishing.
Mother and Boyfriend Facing Multiple Abuse Charges
Ashley Rowland, 39, and her boyfriend, Joshua Denton, 40, are both in custody at the Cleveland County Jail without bond. Rowland faces two counts of enabling child abuse by injury and engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses, while Denton is charged with six counts of child abuse, forcible sodomy, lewd or indecent proposals or acts to a child, and engaging in a pattern of criminal offenses.
According to jail records, Denton is accused of abusing both London and his own children. Rowland allegedly witnessed the abuse but did nothing to intervene.
Disturbing Allegations from Denton’s Children
In a probable cause affidavit, Denton’s 15-year-old son told investigators that his father once struck London with a wooden paddle and shot her with a BB gun, leaving visible injuries. Police later found a BB gun and the paddle—inscribed with “The Last Resort”—inside a storage unit belonging to Rowland and Denton.
The teen also accused his father of duct-taping him to a chair and whipping him with a belt, threatening to kill him if he reported the abuse. He alleged that the last time he saw London, she was in a car with Denton and Rowland. Rowland reportedly told him to “say goodbye to London” before driving away.
Claims of Severe Physical and Sexual Abuse
Younger children told investigators that Denton poured hot sauce into London’s eyes multiple times, forced her to bite a hot pepper, and locked her inside a closet. His 8-year-old daughter also accused him of sexual abuse.
Rowland, when interviewed after her November arrest, claimed she gave London to a man named “Carlos,” allegedly the girl’s biological father, in exchange for meth. Rowland told police the meeting happened in a parking lot in April 2022 and that she did not provide any identification documents for the child.
Authorities Question Mother’s Story
According to News, investigators found inconsistencies in Rowland’s account, including timelines that did not match when London would have been conceived. She later admitted that “Carlos” might not be the father and that she was with another man in Georgia at the time.
By April 2023, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services had been tasked with taking custody of London but could not locate her. Agents eventually found Rowland in Moore, just south of Oklahoma City, but she continued to give conflicting statements about her daughter’s whereabouts.
Search for London Remains Urgent
The Oklahoma City Police Department has now taken over the investigation, as they believe London was last seen within their jurisdiction.
“We don’t have very credible information from the people that assumed responsibility or had custody of this child… time is of the essence,” Sgt. Dillon Quirk told KOCO.
If London is alive, she will turn six years old next month. Authorities urge anyone with information to call the Oklahoma City Police Homicide Tip Line at 405-297-1200 or Crime Stoppers at 405-235-7300.
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