Details Emerge In Death Of Oaklee Snow; 2 Charged

Editor's note: This article contains details from a probable cause affidavit that some may find disturbing.

A nearly 2-year-old girl from Seminole County, Oklahoma, was found dead in Indiana after she was reported missing in January, investigators said.

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Investigators discovered Oaklee Mae Snow inside a dresser drawer in an abandoned building in Morgan County, Indiana, said the Marion County Prosecutor's Office. The boyfriend of Snow's mother, 25-year-old Roan Waters, has been charged with murder and numerous other felonies. Oaklee's mother, 22-year-old Madison Marshall, has been charged with multiple felonies as well, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death and assisting a criminal.

Oaklee Snow's father, Zac, reported on Jan. 19 that Oaklee and her infant brother were missing from their home in Cromwell. He told the Seminole County Sheriff's Office that the children's mother, Marshall, and Waters likely took the kids to Indianapolis to be with Waters' family, according to the probable cause affidavit by a detective with Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD).

During that time, Waters was already wanted on charges related to a prior incident involving Oaklee. According to the Oklahoma State Courts Network, a bench warrant out of Okfuskee County was issued in November against Waters for charges of child abuse and domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor. Marshall told investigators that Waters hit Oaklee in the mouth with an open hand because she had been crying, then slapped Marshall in the face when she tried to intervene, the affidavit stated. Oaklee suffered a cut on her lip while Marshall had visible contusions on her left eyelid and cheek.

On March 3, the Greenwood Village Police Department in Colorado arrested Waters at a hotel on his outstanding warrant out of Oklahoma. 

Waters told detectives he traveled with Marshall and her two children to a "trap house" in Indianapolis so that he and Marshall could use drugs, the probable cause affidavit stated. Waters then said he and Marshall decided to abandon Oaklee's baby brother at the house, according to the affidavit. Waters told investigators one of his family members picked up the infant boy from the house and turned the baby over to the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Waters said he and Marshall also left Oaklee behind in Indiana before going to Colorado, but didn't explain where, the affidavit said.

Investigators reviewed jail calls Waters made while he was in custody at the Arapahoe County Detention Center in Colorado and learned that he told his family he helped Marshall drop Oaklee off somewhere, the affidavit said.

A detective, believing Oaklee and her infant brother to be in grave danger, contacted an FBI special agent on March 6, according to the affidavit. The FBI then confirmed with the Department of Child Services that one of Waters' relatives had picked up the baby boy on Feb. 9. Zac told News 9 that he has since reunited with his son and that the baby is doing well.

The FBI special agent then asked for assistance from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Missing Persons Unit to find Oaklee and Marshall. 

A family member of Waters said Waters claimed that Oaklee fell from a bouncy ball and was hurt, and that he and Marshall had to take Oaklee to the hospital, the affidavit stated. A neighbor said he saw Waters and Marshall leave the house with what looked like a child wrapped in a blanket. But the child did not appear to be moving or making a sound, according to the affidavit.

On March 3, Marshall arrived at the home of one of Waters' family members, asking if she could stay there. But Marshall was told she could only stay if she revealed the whereabouts of Oaklee, to which Marshall refused and left, the affidavit said.

An IMPD cadaver K9 indicated that human remains may have been inside Waters' SUV, said the affidavit. Investigators then found what appeared to be blood inside the vehicle.

On March 23, the FBI arrested Marshall at a friend's home in Bunnlevel, North Carolina. 

Marshall told investigators that Waters killed Oaklee on Feb. 9 at the home they were staying at in Indianapolis, the affidavit said. Marshall said she was in the kitchen when she heard Waters yelling at Oaklee, ordering the toddler to bounce on her bouncy ball. Marshall said she yelled for Waters to calm down. She then went into the living room and saw Waters sit back down on the couch. Marshall said about 10 minutes later, she heard Waters scream for her. Marshall told investigators she saw Waters in the hallway holding Oaklee, who was not moving, according to the affidavit.

Marshall said Waters tried to revive Oaklee by putting her in a bathtub and dousing her in cold water. Marshall told investigators that when she tried to call 911, Waters allegedly knocked the phone out of her hand, the affidavit said. 

Waters then allegedly wrapped the toddler in a blanket and put her in the back of his SUV, Marshall told investigators.

Marshall stated that Waters drove her and Oaklee's body to an abandoned home, where he allegedly hid the toddler's remains, according to the affidavit. The FBI and the IMPD searched many areas in Martinsville, Indiana, in the following weeks, but could not find Oaklee, said the affidavit.

On April 20, Marshall was extradited to Indianapolis. The next day, investigators drove her around so she could retrace her steps on the night Oaklee's body was hidden. She eventually was able to recognize an abandoned home in Morganville, Indiana, as the site where Oaklee's body was located, the affidavit said.

A crime scene investigator confirmed that a body of a small child was in the bottom drawer of a dresser inside the abandoned home, said the affidavit.

IMPD told News 9 it may take weeks, if not months, to positively identify the remains using DNA. But the Marion County Prosecutor's Office issued a news release on Wednesday, stating that investigators believed the remains to be that of Oaklee. 

“As parents we have a duty to protect our children," said Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears. "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. 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.”

Marshall told investigators that Oaklee had suffered ongoing physical abuse at the hands of Waters in the months leading to her death, the affidavit said. Marshall claimed Waters would frequently "whoop" or "spank" Oaklee and occasionally "choked her out" because she cried, did not eat fast enough, or did anything else that angered him, the document stated.

A family member of Waters told investigators that bruising was visible along Oaklee's legs when she arrived in Indianapolis in January. A friend of Waters also told investigators he noticed bruising on Oaklee's leg before she disappeared, the affidavit said.

The friend said Waters and Marshall snorted heroin, causing them to be inattentive toward Marshall's children, according to the document.

As of Wednesday, Waters was being held in Arapahoe County, Colorado. Marshall's next court date in Indianapolis was scheduled for Thursday morning.

Oaklee would have turned 2 years old on March 10.