INDIANAPOLIS – The mother of 2-year-old Oaklee Snow, accepted a plea deal regarding her daughter's death, agreeing to testify against co-defendant Roan Waters.
Court records show Madison Marshall pled guilty to Neglect of a Dependent Resulting in Death, which will result in a 25-year sentence, and an additional 2-year sentence for Neglect of a Dependent. Other charges against her will be dismissed at sentencing.
WRTV first reported the case after Oaklee's body was discovered in a dresser drawer at an abandoned property in Morgan County on April 21, 2023.
According to court documents, Oaklee and her younger sibling were reported missing in January 2023 by their biological father in Oklahoma, following claims by Marshall and Waters that they were traveling to Indianapolis.
VIDEO | Body of missing toddler Oaklee Snow found in dresser in abandoned building, court docs say
The couple abandoned Oaklee’s 7-month-old brother in Indianapolis shortly before Oaklee’s death, telling Waters’ family they had to rush the girl to the emergency room after a fall. Fears for Oaklee’s condition led family members to notify authorities.
Waters was arrested in March 2023 in Colorado on a domestic abuse warrant related to a November 2022 incident involving allegations of abuse against both Oaklee and Marshall.
During police interviews, Marshall admitted that she and Waters killed Oaklee on February 9, later revealing that Waters often abused the child for minor misbehaviors.
On the day of Oaklee's death, Marshall described hearing Waters yell at her daughter before running into the room to find Oaklee struggling to breathe. Despite attempts to revive her in cold water, she reportedly wrapped her body in a blanket and disposed of it at the abandoned property.
In her plea agreement, it states that Marshall will "give full and truthful testimony at trial on behalf of the State against co-defendant Roan Waters."
