INDIANAPOLIS — Roan Waters and Madison Marshall have been sentenced for the death of 3-year-old Oaklee Snow. Waters received 45 years, while Marshall was sentenced to 25 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
Last month, Marshall pleaded guilty to Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death as part of a plea deal, which includes testifying against Waters.
Waters pleaded guilty to charges of Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death and two counts of Neglect.
"The fact that two adults who had the care of this child would let these things happen to her and do these things to her is just terrifying. And that's why they're going to the Department of Corrections. That's why that 45-year number is important; it's because it is as serious a crime as it gets. They were entrusted with the care of a 2-year-old baby and failed miserably, and it resulted in her death," Dan Chicchini, Chief trial deputy at the Marion County Prosecutor's Office, said following the sentencing.
On March 3, 2023, Waters and Marshall were arrested in Greenvillage, Colorado, after allegedly taking Oaklee from her father’s home in Oklahoma. They traveled to Indianapolis, leaving her 7-month-old brother behind.
At first, the couple told family members they were rushing Oaklee to the emergency room. However, her body was found on April 21, 2023, hidden in a dresser drawer at an abandoned house in Morgan County.
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This discovery followed concerns from family members who contacted the authorities.
Investigations revealed that Waters had a history of abusing Oaklee for small misbehaviors.
In police interviews, Marshall admitted that both she and Waters caused Oaklee's death, stating the abuse turned fatal on February 9.
Afterward, she told police they tried to hide her body by wrapping it in a blanket and dumping it at the empty property.
