Mother accused of giving her 2-year-old daughter to a suspected drug dealer

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) – An Oklahoma woman has been charged after she allegedly gave her 2-year-old daughter to a suspected drug dealer.

Ashley Rowland was arrested for child escape in October after she allegedly told police she gave her 2-year-old daughter to a man she bought meth from in 2022. She was later released on bail.

According to court documents, the investigation began at an apartment complex in Moore in April 2022, where it was learned that the child had not been seen for several years.

A year later, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services received a pickup order. Although they were unable to locate the girl, they were able to locate her mother, Rowland, with the help of the Moore Police Department.

Rowland told officials her daughter was with her father in Georgia, but authorities determined she was lying. During a second interview, she told police that she had given her daughter, who was 2 at the time, to a man from whom she had been buying methamphetamine, and that she was under the influence of drugs when she gave the child away.

She recognized the man as “Carlos,” who told her he was returning to Mexico when she last saw him in April 2022. She says that was also the last time she saw her daughter.

Rowland was booked into the Oklahoma County Jail last week. Authorities were working to raise her bond to $100,000, but she was able to post a bond before that.

DHS was unable to provide any details of the policy case, but said in a statement: “Situations like those described in this affidavit are horrific and unthinkable. The agency is grateful to our law enforcement partners for their continued work to locate her and to pursue justice in her disappearance.”

Rowland is due back in court on Jan. 6 to face charges. Court officials say she will then have to post a $100,000 bond or remain in custody.