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

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) - An Oklahoma woman is facing charges for allegedly giving her 2-year-old daughter away to a suspected drug dealer.

Ashley Rowland was arrested for child desertion in October after she allegedly told police that she gave her 2-year-old daughter to a man she purchased methamphetamines from in 2022. She was later released on bond.

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

A year later, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services obtained a pickup order. While they weren't able to find the girl, they were able to find 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 she gave her daughter, who was 2 at the time, to a man she was buying meth from and that she was heavily on drugs at the time she gave the child away.

She identified the man as "Carlos," who told her he was going back to Mexico the last time she 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 on raising her bail to $100,000, but she was able to post bond before that.

DHS wasn't able to speak to any specifics on the case per policy but said in a statement, "Situations like those described in this affidavit are heartbreaking and unimaginable. The agency is grateful to our law enforcement partners for their continued work to find her and as they seek justice in her disappearance."

Rowland is due back in court Jan. 6 for an arraignment. Court authorities say she will have to post a $100,000 bond at that time, or she will remain in custody.