An Oklahoma couple is facing serious charges after allegations of severe child abuse and the disappearance of their two-year-old daughter, London Kerr. The parents, Ashley Ceejay Rowland, 39, and Joshua Denton, 40, were arrested on August 5, following reports of their daughter’s mistreatment and subsequent disappearance. The last confirmed sighting of the toddler was with her mother’s alleged methamphetamine dealer in 2022.
Rowland confessed to authorities that she had traded her daughter to a man known only as “Carlos” in return for drugs. The man reportedly planned to travel to Mexico with the child. Before handing over London, the couple is believed to have subjected the toddler to extreme physical abuse.
Rowland’s teenage children reported that their mother and her partner would shoot the toddler with BB guns, strike her with a wooden paddle, and lock her in a closet, as per a criminal affidavit. A search of the couple’s home revealed a wooden paddle inscribed with the phrase “The Last Resort.”
Denton’s teenage daughters also claimed that their father had forced London to consume a hot pepper and had repeatedly poured hot sauce into her eyes. One of Denton’s daughters revealed to investigators that she had previously been sexually abused by him.
Efforts to locate London, who would be turning six in September, have been intensified by authorities. Oklahoma City police Sgt. Dillon Quirk emphasized the urgency of the situation, expressing hope for a positive outcome despite the scarcity of leads.
Rowland told the police that when she gave London to the drug dealer, the child had no identification documents. The child’s absence was first noticed during a failed Department of Human Services pickup order in April 2023.
Denton is facing nine felony charges, including six counts of child abuse, one count of forcible sodomy, and one count of lewd or indecent acts to a child. Rowland has been charged with one count of enabling child abuse and has previous charges of child abandonment filed in Oklahoma County District Court last year.