Investigators in Indiana believe they have uncovered the remains of an Oklahoma toddler weeks shy of her second birthday who disappeared in February. Oaklee Mae Snow was last seen with her mother, Madison Marshall, 22, when witnesses say the mother carried the child's motionless body out of what police describe as a "trap house" in Indianapolis. Her mother reportedly led police to her remains, which were found in a dresser drawer inside an abandoned home in Morgantown.
Police reported that the remains were that of a blonde toddler, but the body was badly decomposed. The Morgan County Coroner's Office will examine the body, and results may take two to four weeks, according to CBS 4. Oaklee was reportedly the victim of physical abuse at the hands of her mother's boyfriend, 25-year-old Roan Waters, who Marshall claimed is responsible for the child's death.
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Marshall and Waters allegedly kidnapped the toddler and her brother.
Court documents obtained by Fox 59 state that Marshall and Waters took Oaklee and her 7-month-old brother, Coleton, on January 19 from the home of their father, Zachary Snow, in Cromwell, Oklahoma, and took them to Indianapolis, where Waters' family lives. The couple allegedly abandoned Coleton in the trap house, slang for a place where illegal drugs are sold. The child had no clothes when Marshall's mother and sister rescued him.
Police arrested Waters on March 3 in Green Village, Colorado, after a disturbance call at a hotel. A warrant for his arrest was issued in November 2022 for child abuse, domestic assault, and battery in the presence of a minor, in Oklahoma in connection with Oaklee, according to Fox 59. Upon his arrest, Waters admitted to police that he and Marshall took the children to the trap house and left Coleton there. He also said they left Oaklee in Indiana but did not specify where.
Waters purportedly abused Oaklee frequently.
Marion County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Mears said Oaklee lived a very short and brutalized life. Waters allegedly abused Oaklee repeatedly, eventually leading to the child's death, per CBS 4. Marshall told police that Waters routinely hit Oaklee and even choked her at one point.
She reportedly told police that Waters' abuse was so severe Oaklee refused to eat in front of him. Marshall said if she tried to defend Oaklee and her age, Waters turned the abuse on her.
Marshall told police that Waters killed her daughter.
On the day of the toddler's death, Marshall said Oaklee woke her and Waters at the trap house because she was hungry. This reportedly angered Waters, who threw the child to the floor, causing a head injury, Fox 59 reported. Later that day, Waters called out to the mother while he held Oaklee, who struggled to breathe.
Marshall told police that she tried to call 911, but Waters hit the phone out of her hand. The pair traveled to Morgan County, where Waters reportedly disposed of Oaklee's body.
"This child was the victim of abuse over the course of multiple days," Mears said, per Fox 59. "This was not an isolated incident. The Probable Cause affidavit indicates that there was abuse that took place in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Indianapolis. This child suffered for a very significant period of time and on February 9, [and] the culmination of that abuse led to Oaklee tragically losing her life."
Waters allegedly spoke about the death in recorded phone calls from jail.
Per CBS 4, Mears said Waters made multiple phone calls from a Colorado jail and allegedly spoke candidly about what happened to Oaklee.
"You also had individuals who are in custody who were more than willing to talk about their experiences and what occurred over jail phone calls," the prosecutor said, according to the news outlet. "The individual that we are accusing of murder was in custody in Colorado for much of the last couple months. There's been a lot of phone calls. There's been a lot of discussion with various family members and certainly that evidence is something that we intend to present at trial."
Mears said the prosecution would use those calls and forensic evidence, such as the response of a cadaver dog to the couple's car, to build its case.
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Marshall and Waters face multiple charges.
Prosecutors charged Waters with murder, felony neglect of a dependent resulting in death, felony neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, felony neglect of a dependent for abandoning or cruelly confining the dependent, and felony neglect of a dependent for placing the dependent in a dangerous situation, according to the Indy Star. He's also facing felony battery resulting in the injury of a victim under the age of 14. Waters has not appeared in court.
Marshall faces the same charges minus the murder and battery charges. Instead, prosecutors charged her with assisting a criminal. She appeared in court Wednesday on neglect charges, and a judge set bond at $200,000.
It is unclear at this time whether the two obtained attorneys.
"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," Mears shared in a statement, per the Star.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
