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On Wednesday, April 26, authorities confirmed that 2-year-old Oklahoma toddler Oaklee Mae Snow, who had been missing since January 2023, was found dead after her remains were discovered stuffed in a dresser drawer of an abandoned building in Indiana.
The confirmation comes days after Indianapolis investigators said the remains of an unidentified child were discovered in Morgan County, about 27 miles south of Indianapolis, on April 21. At the time, police were awaiting a DNA test before determining if the child was Oaklee Mae Snow.
Authorities have been searching for the toddler, who was allegedly abducted from her father Zack Snow's home alongside her younger brother by her mother, Madison Marshall, on January 19 in Cromwell, Oklahoma.
As per PEOPLE, Marshall, 22, took Oaklee and her 7-month-old brother Coleton from Snow's home to live with her boyfriend Roan Waters in Indianapolis, where Waters' family resides. Oaklee was reportedly last seen on February, 9, being carried out of an alleged drug house by her mother in Indianapolis.
Disclaimer: This article contains graphic details of a sensitive incident, reader discretion is highly advised.
Oaklee Mae Snow’s mother and boyfriend have been arrested after her remains were found recently
As per Law&Crime, Oaklee Mae Snow’s mother, Madison Marshall, and her boyfriend, Roan Waters, were arrested this week and charged in connection with the child’s horrifying death. Court documents obtained by the media detailed the horrifying abuse endured by the toddler from her mother’s boyfriend which resulted in her brutal death.
Marshall reportedly told investigators that Waters, who derived sick pleasure out of torturing the young girl, was responsible for her daughter’s death.
The suspect further stated that on February 9, while in the kitchen, she heard Waters repeatedly yell at Oaklee to jump on an inflatable rubber ball in the living room. Marshall, after growing increasingly concerned over her boyfriend screaming in the living room, went to check on them and found him standing over her daughter who was seated trying to bounce on the ball.
Marshall reportedly returned to the kitchen but came running back after hearing Waters scream for her from the living room, where she found her daughter unresponsive. The mother claimed that Waters stopped her from calling 911 after she found her unconscious daughter, who was badly hurt and “observed what appeared to be a mix of blood and spittle dripping from her mouth when she tried to exhale.”
As per Court Documents, the duo reportedly wrapped Oaklee Mae Snow in a blanket and drove to an abandoned home in another town where Waters allegedly took Oaklee’s body out of the car, entered the home through a window, and left the young child inside the building.
The arrest affidavit stated that before abandoning Oaklee’s body, Marshall checked for a pulse but found her unresponsive. The document further read:
“Marshall felt her skin, which now seemed cool to the touch. She could also no longer feel a heartbeat as she held her. Marshall pulled Oaklee’s eyelids back to further examine her but saw no movement or response in them. She held Oaklee’s hand before eventually climbing up to the front seat next to R. Waters.”
What are the charges the suspect duo have been charged with in Oaklee Mae Snow's death?
Oaklee Mae Snow was found two months after her disappearance when her mother led authorities to the abandoned building.
In a statement, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears said:
“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.”
As per Law&Crime, Waters is charged with one count of murder, two counts of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in serious injury, and five additional counts of neglect of a dependent.
Marshall, who faces similar charges, was spared from the murder count but was instead charged with two counts of assisting a criminal.
