The tragic death of Oaklee Snow: Indiana mom and boyfriend charged as missing girl, 2, found dead in dresser at abandoned home
Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: The mother of the missing two-year-old girl, Oaklee Snow, and her boyfriend have been charged in the little girl's death. Court documents reveal that Oaklee's body was found in a dresser drawer at an abandoned property in Morgan County, leading to charges against Madison Marshall and Roan Waters. Oaklee, who would have turned two on March 10, was last seen in Indianapolis in February before her body was found on April 21.
According to the arrest affidavit, Waters, 25, has been charged with murder, two level one felony charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, a level three felony charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, a level six felony charge of neglect of a dependent for abandoning or cruelly confining the dependent and two level six felony charges of neglect of a dependent for placing the dependent in a dangerous situation. He is also facing a level five felony of battery resulting in the injury of a victim under the age of 14. Marshall, 22, is facing the same charges except she is not facing a murder charge or a battery charge. Instead, she has been charged with assisting a criminal, a level five felony.
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'Oaklee suffered a horrific death'
"As parents, we have a duty to protect our children. Not only did these two individuals fail to live up to that responsibility, but the allegations in the probable cause affidavit indicate that Oaklee suffered a horrific death and an abandonment that diminished the dignity that any child deserves," Prosecutor Mears stated, as reported by Court TV. "I want to thank the multiple law enforcement agencies and our prosecutors who worked tirelessly to locate this child and seek justice on her behalf."
"This case is one of the most challenging types of cases for a community and for our investigators," said IMPD Chief Randal Taylor. "I want to thank the hard work the IMPD Missing Persons Unit detectives put into this investigation. When they learned there was a chance Oaklee Snow may have been in Indianapolis, detectives put a tremendous amount of effort into locating her. I want to also thank all of the law enforcement agencies who assisted in this investigation, both in Indiana and across the country."
A probable cause affidavit detailing the investigation revealed that the couple left Oklahoma with Oaklee and her younger brother Coleton earlier this year, without permission from the children's biological father. The father reported to a sheriff's office in Oklahoma that Marshall and Waters had "taken his children from his home." Coleton was later found by Waters' sister and reunited with his biological father.
Waters 'would frequently whoop or spank' Oaklee
Marshall's statements to law enforcement are a crucial component of the evidence that supports the charges against her and Waters. She reportedly told a detective with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department that Waters had a history of physically abusing Oaklee. "He would frequently 'whoop' or 'spank' her as a form of discipline," the affidavit states, quoting Marshall. "He had also occasionally 'choked her out'. This included for reasons of her crying, urinating in her diaper, 'holding a fork wrong', and other behavior common of a toddler."
According to Marshall's account to the police, Waters was yelling at Oaklee to bounce on a bouncy ball on February 9, while she was in another room. She heard him suddenly start screaming her name and ran to the living room to find Waters holding Oaklee's unresponsive body in his arms. "R. Waters continually repeated without prompting that he 'didn’t do anything' and that 'it wasn’t (his) fault'," the affidavit states. Her eyes were closed, Marshall said, and blood and spit were dripping from her mouth.
Shortly after, Marshall and Waters drove out of Indianapolis with the dead toddler in the back seat, until they reached an abandoned house near Martinsville, according to police. Waters took Oaklee's body and entered the house through a window, but when he returned, the child was no longer with him. Months later, in April, investigators found her body in the bottom drawer of a dresser at the abandoned property. Her leg was broken at the knee. A blue and white sock still covered her small foot.
Marshall appeared in court on Wednesday, April 26, where a judge set her bond at $200,000.