Oaklee Mae Snow, nearly two years old, was killed on February 9, 2023, while living in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her mother Madison Marshall, Marshall's boyfriend Roan Waters, and others. Oaklee had been subjected to months of ongoing physical abuse by Waters, who regularly beat and choked her for normal toddler behaviors such as holding a fork wrong or urinating in her diaper. On the morning of her death, Waters threw Oaklee to the floor when she woke up crying, then later yelled at her to bounce on an inflatable ball. Shortly after, Marshall found Waters holding an unresponsive Oaklee, who had blood and spittle dripping from her mouth. Waters refused to let Marshall call 911, wrapped the child in a blanket, and drove to an abandoned home in Morgan County where he placed her body inside a dresser drawer. The couple then fled the state. Oaklee's decomposed body was discovered on April 21, 2023. Both Marshall and Waters were arrested and charged; Marshall later pleaded guilty to neglect resulting in death and agreed to testify against Waters, who faces murder charges.
Contexts/Conditions
Is there any mention of child drug ingestion or overdose?
Is there any mention of a drowning incident (either intentional or accidental)?
Is there any mention of a firearm incident?
Is there any mention of inappropriate supervision (e.g., child wandered off and drowned)?
Is there any mention of inflicted injury? (e.g. slapped, punched, kicked, choked)
Multiple sources describe various inflicted injuries. The DCS report states: "her boyfriend threw the child on the floor." The Law&Crime article describes Waters regularly "whooping" Oaklee and on several occasions "choked her out." The NBC15 article states Waters was "previously charged with child abuse, domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor for allegedly hitting Oaklee in the face last November." The missinginillinois.org post adds: "threw her onto the floor which caused a red bump to form above her right eye."
Is there any mention of malnutrition, starvation, or dehydration?
Is there any mention of medical neglect?
Multiple sources describe the child suffering ongoing physical abuse for months without any medical treatment, and when the fatal injury occurred, Waters refused to allow Marshall to call 911. The Law&Crime article states: "Marshall said Waters refused to let her call 911." The missinginillinois.org post states: "He slapped the phone out of the mother's hands as she attempted to call 911." The NBC15 article also notes that Waters' sister saw "numerous bruises on Oaklee Snow's legs" during a visit, yet no medical care was sought. While the term 'medical neglect' is not used explicitly, the pattern of untreated injuries over months and the refusal to seek emergency care strongly implies it.
Is there any mention of a motor vehicle crash or incident?
Is there any mention of a murder-suicide incident?
Is there any mention of outdoor elements (including hot car deaths)?
Is there any mention of prenatal substance exposure (including fetal alcohol syndrome or neonatal abstinence syndrome)?
Is there any mention of sexual abuse?
Is there any specific mention of shaken baby or abusive head trauma?
Is there any mention of prolonged abuse or torture (including restraints, captivity)?
Multiple sources describe prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment of the child over an extended period. The DCS report states: "The mother stated the child had been the subject of ongoing abuse by the boyfriend for months." The Law&Crime article describes the abuse in detail: "Marshall told investigators that Water would regularly 'whoop' Oaklee as a form of discipline for any perceived misbehavior, including 'holding a fork wrong,' urinating in her diaper, and many other behaviors common to toddlers. On several occasions, he also allegedly 'choked her out.'" The same article further notes that "Oaklee had stopped eating around Waters because 'he regularly became aggressive with her when she would not eat at the pace that he wanted her to.'" The article explicitly characterizes these acts as "disturbing torture and horrific abuse." This pattern of repeated choking, beatings for normal toddler behavior, and intimidation clearly constitutes prolonged, deliberately cruel treatment.
Is there any mention of an unsafe sleeping environment?
Individuals Involved
Was an adoptive parent or guardian involved in the death?
Was a biological father involved in the death?
Was a biological mother involved in the death?
The biological mother, Madison Marshall, was charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death and assisting a criminal. The DCS report identifies the perpetrator as "Mother's boyfriend" but the mother is also directly implicated. The Law&Crime article states Marshall was charged with "two counts of assisting a criminal" along with multiple neglect counts. The People article confirms she "pleaded guilty on May 1, Madison Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and one count of neglect of a dependent." She witnessed months of ongoing abuse, failed to protect her daughter, helped dispose of the body, and fled the state.
Was a day care worker, babysitter, or nanny involved in the death?
Was a female paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., girlfriend, stepmother)?
Was a foster parent involved in the death?
Was a male paramour or friend involved in the death (e.g., boyfriend, stepfather)?
The primary perpetrator was Roan Waters, the mother's boyfriend. The DCS report identifies the perpetrator as "Mother's boyfriend." The NBC15 article states: "25-year-old Roan Waters, the boyfriend of Oaklee's mother, is facing murder and neglect charges in connection with the girl's death." Multiple sources describe Waters as the one who inflicted the fatal and ongoing abuse.
Was another adult relative involved in the death? (e.g., grandfather, aunt)
Was a sibling involved in the death?
Child Characteristics
Was the child adopted?
Was the child homeschooled (including "cyberschooling") or taken out of school?
Was the child in foster care at the time of the incident?
Was the child living with relatives at the time of the incident (but not parents)?
Is there any mention of a neurological developmental child disability? (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, nonverbal)
Is there any mention of a physical child disability? (e.g., feeding tube)
Is there any mention of prematurity or low birthweight?
Is there a history of child protection reports prior to death (for this child or siblings)?
The DCS fatality report explicitly states: "Number of previous unsubstantiated assessments for victim: 1 in Indiana; 2 in Oklahoma." Additionally, the NBC15 article notes that Waters "was previously charged with child abuse, domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor for allegedly hitting Oaklee in the face last November," and the missinginillinois.org post states that "Waters' sister later called and reported to CFS" after the couple claimed they were taking Oaklee to the emergency room.
Does the child have a history of foster care (but not in care at time of incident)?
Is there a history of a sibling death (separate incident from this death)?
Parent/Caregiver Factors
Was an adult charged or arrested for the child's death?
Both caregivers were charged and arrested. The NBC15 article states: "25-year-old Roan Waters, the boyfriend of Oaklee's mother, is facing murder and neglect charges" and "22-year-old Madison Marshall, has also been charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and assisting a criminal." The People article confirms Marshall "pleaded guilty on May 1" to neglect charges and that "Waters will stand trial in June on charges of murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent and battery."
Is domestic violence by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The NBC15 article states that Waters was "previously charged with child abuse, domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor for allegedly hitting Oaklee in the face last November." The missinginillinois.org post similarly states Waters was arrested "on child abuse and domestic assault and batter in the presence of a minor." The explicit use of the term "domestic assault and battery" directly references domestic violence.
Is there any mention that the death occurred in a temporary shelter or while homeless?
Is an intellectual disability of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is the mental health of the parent/caregiver referenced?
Is a history of arrests or criminal charges for the parent/caregiver referenced?
The NBC15 article states: "Waters was previously charged with child abuse, domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor for allegedly hitting Oaklee in the face last November." This refers to charges from November 2022, which predate the February 2023 fatal incident. The missinginillinois.org post confirms: "on March 3, Waters was arrested on a bench warrant out of Oklahoma from November, on child abuse and domestic assault and battery in the presence of a minor." This prior criminal history is separate from the murder and neglect charges arising from Oaklee's death.
Is substance use by the parent/caregiver referenced?
The DCS fatality report states: "The mother stated she and the boyfriend had been using oxycodone, fentanyl and suboxone." Multiple news articles also describe the residence where the child was living as a "drug house," "crack house," or "trap house."
Notable Details
Several notable details emerge from the text that are not addressed by the preceding questions. First, when Oaklee's decomposed body was recovered from the abandoned building, police found her "left leg had been 'clearly broken at the knee so that the left foot rested directly over her chest'" (Law&Crime article), indicating the body was forcibly contorted to fit inside the dresser drawer. Second, the case spanned multiple states: the family fled Oklahoma to Indiana, and after Oaklee's death, Waters was arrested in Colorado and Marshall in North Carolina, underscoring significant cross-jurisdictional challenges. The DCS report notes prior unsubstantiated CPS assessments existed in both Indiana (1) and Oklahoma (2), highlighting potential gaps in cross-state information sharing for child protection. Third, Oaklee's 7-month-old brother Coleton was also taken from Oklahoma and later abandoned at the Indianapolis residence before being recovered and returned to his father. Finally, Marshall pleaded guilty in May 2025 and agreed to testify against Waters as part of her plea agreement, with Waters scheduled for trial on murder charges.
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