MORGAN CO. – Madison Marshall, the mother of 1-year-old Oaklee Snow, has agreed to plead guilty to neglect charges in connection with her daughter’s death. Oaklee’s body was tragically discovered in a dresser in rural Morgan County in 2023, months after she was reported missing.
Marshall, 22, reached a plea agreement on Friday, April 25, admitting guilt to neglect of a dependent resulting in death and neglect of a dependent. Her formal change of plea hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 1.
As part of the deal with prosecutors, Marshall has agreed to testify against her former boyfriend, Roan Waters, who is charged with murder, neglect of a dependent resulting in death, neglect of a dependent, and battery in Oaklee’s case. Waters’ trial is set to begin on May 12.
The plea agreement outlines that prosecutors will seek a sentence of at least 25 years in prison for Marshall on the charge of neglect resulting in death. A concurrent two-year sentence will be sought for the additional neglect charge, meaning it will not add to her total prison time. In exchange for her guilty plea and testimony, prosecutors will drop several other neglect charges and a charge of assisting a criminal who committed murder.
Oaklee was reported missing after she and her 7-month-old brother were taken from Oklahoma to Indianapolis by Marshall and Waters in February 2023. Court documents indicate Oaklee was last seen alive in Indianapolis in February, appearing unconscious while wrapped in a blanket. Waters later admitted to abandoning Oaklee’s brother at a drug house, leading to Marshall’s initial charge of abandonment in March 2023.
The remains of Oaklee were found in a dresser drawer at an abandoned Morgan County building in April 2023, and DNA confirmation followed in May. The Morgan County coroner ruled her death a homicide by unspecified means.
Before Oaklee’s disappearance and death, court documents revealed a history of alleged abuse. In October 2022, Marshall reported to Oklahoma authorities that Waters had physically assaulted Oaklee. A warrant for Waters’ arrest on charges of child abuse and domestic assault was issued in November 2022. However, in January 2023, Oaklee and her brother were reported missing from their biological father’s home in Oklahoma, with authorities believing Marshall and Waters had taken them to Indianapolis.
