Plea Deals & Broken Systems: How Roan Waters Walked Free to Kill Oaklee Snow

Oaklee Snow's tragic death in 2023 could have been prevented if the justice system hadn't failed her through a lenient plea deal given to her killer years earlier. We investigate how Rowan Waters went from facing decades in prison to walking free in just four years, only to allegedly murder little Oakley by February 2023.

• Roan Waters' 2017 arrest for armed burglary with multiple felonies that should have kept him behind bars until 2037
• How a lenient plea deal reduced his sentence from a potential 42.5 years to just 5 years, with release after only 4
• The Oklahoma domestic violence and child abuse charges that sent Waters on the run with Madison Marshall and her children
• Detailed timeline of February 9, 2023—the day Oaklee was killed in Indianapolis
• The disturbing discovery of Oaklee's body in a dresser drawer at an abandoned Morgantown property
• Madison's plea deal and upcoming testimony against Waters in his June 2025 trial
• The systemic failures that let a violent offender free to allegedly commit murder

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome everyone to Podcast 69 South, where we cuss
and discuss true crime, coldcases, current events and hot
topics, along with our state ofsociety today.
This is your trigger warning.
Our podcast content is producedfor adult listeners, 18 years
of age and older.
We discuss situations that maybe offensive and triggering to

(00:21):
some listeners.
Sit back, relax and enjoy maybe offensive and triggering to
some listeners.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Sit back, relax and enjoy.
Tonight the Morgan Countycoroner has now released the
final autopsy report forone-year-old Oakley Snow.
The little girl's death tonightis classified as a homicide of
unspecified means.
Police discovered her body in adresser drawer in an abandoned
home in Morgan County last April.
Now Metro Police believe hermom's boyfriend actually killed

(00:49):
her in a house on the south sideof Indianapolis back in
February.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
Welcome back everybody to 69 South Podcast.
I'm your host, chop, and withme always is my beautiful
co-host Julie.
How are you doing today?

Speaker 3 (01:03):
I'm good.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Today we're talking about a case that's been heavy
on our hearts Rowan Waters,madison Marshall and the tragic
death of little Oakley Snow.
We've been digging into thiscase since day one, and today
we're asking a tough questionCould Oakley still be alive if
Waters didn't get such a lightplea deal back in 2017?
Let's set the stage.
What was the deal and what washe originally looking at?

Speaker 3 (01:27):
So yeah, let's go back to 2017.
Rowan Waters got arrested onOctober 18th in Shelby County,
indiana, with a whole mess ofcharges.
We've got the notes on an F2burglary with a deadly weapon,
an F5 burglary for recklessness,two F6 felonies and one for

(01:51):
using a deadly weapon, anotherfor a body armor, a use of body
armor to commit a felony, plusmisdemeanors for resisting law
enforcement and criminalmischief.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
That sounds like some home invasion shit.
I mean wearing a body armorinto a burglary Like dressed up
like a bank robber or somethingand went in there.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Now, if they stacked all of those sentences
consecutively, he was looking ata max sentence of 42.5 years.
The F-2 alone, that's 10 to 30years with an advisory sentence
of 17.5 years.
The F2 alone, that's 10 to 30years, with an advisory sentence
of 17.5 years.
The F5 is a one to six yearsentence, the F6 are six months

(02:34):
to two and a half years.
So even if some of the time rantogether, like they often do,
he was still facing 20 to 25years.
That's a long time behind bars.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Yeah, 20 to 25 years.
That'll keep him locked upuntil at least 20, 37, maybe
longer, but that's not what hegot.
What was the plea deal they gotfor him?

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Not even close.
By May 9th 2018, he takes aplea deal which drops the F2
felony to an F5 burglary chargeand everything else gets tossed.
He gets five years, with aboutsix and a half months he's
already spent in jail waitingfor sentencing, plus good time
credit.
He's out by February 16th of2022, so he serves a little over

(03:22):
four years total.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Four years.
That's little to nothingcompared to 20 or more.
So let's talk about Oakley.
If he's locked up until 2037, Iwonder if that would change her
story.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
It sure could have.
If Waters is still in prison in2022, he's not out in Oklahoma
by November getting charged withchild abuse and domestic
battery for her and Oakley andher mom, madison Marshall.
He's not on the run and he'snot with Madison when she takes
off with Oakley and her brotheron January 19, 2023 and, most

(03:58):
importantly, he's not inIndianapolis on February 9, 2023
when Oakley is killed.
If he'd still been locked up,oakley might still be alive
today, playing and laughing likeshe should be.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
That's a hard pill to swallow.
I mean to think that thatlittle girl might still be here
if they hadn't let him out soearly.
What do you think of that pleadeal?
Do you think he got it?
Because it was like maybe hisfirst offense as an adult.
I mean, that's Shelby Countytoo, not Marion County.
Shelby County, I thought, was alittle bit of a refer on.

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, I don't think he had any previous, maybe some
traffic tickets or somethingminimal but nothing.
That was like the first bigfelony.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
Maybe they were just giving him the benefit of the
doubt, hoping he could learn hislesson, but unfortunately that
wasn't the case.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
And he got off way too easy.
Look I get why plea dealshappen.
Prosecution wants a sure thingand a trial is a gamble.
But dropping an F-2 burglarywith a deadly weapon down to an
F-5, that's a huge jump.
He went from facing decades towalking free in four years.
And those other charges, thedeadly weapon, the body armor

(05:12):
they just vanish.
That ain't justice, not whenyou look at what he did later.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Yeah, I'm with you.
I mean, he had a deadly weapon,he was ready to do some damage.
They let him off with a pat onthe back and now you look at
where Oakley is gone and he'sfacing murder charges.
It makes you wonder if thesystem dropped the ball big time
back in 2018.

Speaker 3 (05:34):
It really does.
And now, with his trial comingup on June 9th 2025, we're all
waiting to see if he'll finallyface the music for what happened
to Oakley.
But it's hard not to thinkabout what could have been if
that plea deal hadn't been solenient.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
I personally believe that a stronger sentence could
have saved Oakley.
Let's zero in on that momentthat turned Rowan Waters into a
fugitive.
Julie, take us back to November2022.
What the heck happened inOklahoma to kick all this shit
off?

Speaker 3 (06:03):
So by November 2022,.
Roan Waters is living out inOklahoma with his woman, Madison
Marshall.
Things seem quiet for a bitafter he got out of prison, but
then it all blows up when hegets charged with child abuse
and domestic assault and batteryin the presence of a minor.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
So that's how he got the original warrant put on him
after that.

Speaker 3 (06:28):
Well, a bench warrant got issued because he didn't
show up for court.
Instead of facing the music,waters bolted left Oklahoma and
hightailed it back to Indiana onthe run, with that warrant
hanging over his head.

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Well, of course he's going to run.
He's not wanting to face themusic Sounds like he knew he was
in deep shit.
He's not wanting to face themusic Sounds like he knew he was
in deep shit.
Those charges child abuse couldhave been one to 10 years, and
the domestic battery addsanother year.
If they stacked it, he probablywasn't sticking around for all
that.

Speaker 3 (06:56):
No, he wasn't.
And here's the kicker he wasstill in touch with Madison even
after on the run.
That connection didn't breakand it's going to lead to more
trouble down the line, but thewarrant, that's what kicked off
him being a fugitive.

Speaker 1 (07:14):
Yeah, that's the spark that lit the whole fire.
He did not want to return toprison and it led to Oakley
Snow's death.
Let's jump into this probablecause affidavit and see what
allegedly happened.
So this is the probable causeaffidavit for Madison Marshall
and her co-defendant, RowanWaters.
This affidavit for probablecause does not contain each and

(07:48):
every material fact known to thedetectives and or other law
enforcement officials from theIMPD or the FBI.

Speaker 3 (07:55):
This affidavit contains the necessary facts and
information just to establishthe probable cause for the
arrest of Madison Marshall andRowan Waters for the
disappearance and death ofOakley.
To report allegations ofphysical assault by her
boyfriend, rowan Waters, madisonalleged that Rowan had struck

(08:17):
her one-and-a-half-year-olddaughter, oakley Snow, in the
face during an altercation theday prior.
Then Rowan hit Madison in thehead when she attempted to
intervene in the assault.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Deputies with the OCSO arrived at Madison's shared
residence with Rowan inCromwell, Oklahoma, and
attempted to make contact withthe occupants.
Rowan answered the front doorand asked the deputies if they
had a warrant to be on hisproperty.
Before they could answer, heslammed the door in their faces.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
The deputies attempted to explain through the
closed door, the purpose oftheir presence, that they were
there for a welfare check, butRowan yelled for them to get the
fuck out.
As the deputies returned totheir marked police vehicles
fuck out.
As the deputies returned totheir marked police vehicles, a
blue SUV, a blue colored SUV,pulled up next to them.

(09:10):
They identified multipleoccupants inside of it, to
include Madison Oakley andMadison's three month old son,
cs.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
Ron appeared to see Madison's interaction with the
officers and exited from theresidence.
He immediately began yelling sothat the deputies could no
longer hear what the occupantsof the SUV were saying.
Rowan also began playing loudmusic to further inhibit their
conversation.
The deputies eventually leftthe property after Marshall
attempted to assure them thatshe and her children were not in

(09:41):
danger.

Speaker 3 (09:42):
Talk about a loose cannon.

Speaker 1 (09:44):
Yeah, and later that day Zach Snow contacted the
Sheriff's Department to informthem that Madison would now like
to make a formal report to them.
Zach Snow identified himself asthe biological father of Oakley
, and CS Deputies arrived atZach's father's residence in
Cromwell and spoke with Madison.
She was present with her twochildren.

(10:05):
Madison stated that Rowan hadstruck Oakley in the mouth with
an open hand on October 25, 2022because she had been crying.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
Madison lifted Oakley's upper lip so that the
deputies could see the cut onthe other side.
She explained that Rowan hitOakley and she confronted him.
He then slapped Madison acrossthe left side of her face.
The impact left a contusionover her left eye and cheek,
which were visible to thedeputies.
They photographed Madison andOakley's injuries and documented

(10:39):
the report in order to presentthe case to the county
prosecutor's office for possiblecharges.

Speaker 1 (10:46):
Madison requested that only charges be filed
against Rowan for his abuseagainst Oakley rather than on
her.
On November 7, 2022, theDistrict Court of Ofuskee County
filed a warrant for Rowan'sarrest for the charges of child
abuse and domestic assault andbattery in the presence of a
minor, under the docket numberCF-2022-0057, as it related to

(11:09):
the above events.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
On January 19, 2023, Zach Snow reported the
disappearance of Oakley NCS fromhis home of his residence in
Cromwell, Oklahoma.
He reported it to the SeminoleCounty Sheriff's Office that
Madison and Rowan took hischildren from his home without

(11:33):
authorization and had likelyfled to Indianapolis to be with
Rowan's family.

Speaker 1 (11:39):
So let's back this up a little bit here.
They were living in Oklahomaand it seems like Madison and
Zach were a couple.
They had went to schooltogether and stuff and they had
two children together.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
Yeah, she had just had a baby three months prior to
this event.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
So Rowan goes to prison and he gets out in
Indiana.
At some point he returns backto Oklahoma and kind of
infiltrates their little happyfamily life, supposedly.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
Yeah, that's exactly what happened.
And then after this incidentshe goes back to Zach and is
living there as a couple, Iguess and then on January 19th
she just cut out in the middleof the night with the two
children.

Speaker 1 (12:30):
In all reports that we looked at this Zach Snow
seemed like he was giving her apretty good life, like they had
a nice place to live.
He had a job, he was takingcare of the family.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Yeah, I just think she was a stay-at-home mom and
he did all the work and heprovided the home.
I mean they had a pretty goodlife.

Speaker 1 (12:48):
So, on March 3rd 2023 , the Greenwood Village,
colorado Police Departmentlocated and arrested Rowan for
his outstanding warrant inOklahoma after responding to a
complaint regarding occupants ofa room at a local Best Western
Hotel located at 9231 EastArapahoe Road in Grinwood
Village, colorado.
Through their follow-upinvestigation at the scene of

(13:12):
the arrest, they determined thatMarshall had been staying with
him at the hotel, but had noreason to be detained at that
time.

Speaker 3 (13:18):
Additionally, there were no signs that children had
been with them.
Law enforcement identifiedRowan's cellular phone number
ending in 2033.
However, no cell phone waspresent on Rowan upon his arrest
.
Deputies from the OCSO learnedof Rowan Waters' arrest that day
and requested assistance fromthe GWVPD with interviewing him

(13:44):
about the disappearance of thechildren.

Speaker 1 (13:47):
Detectives interviewed Rowan on that same
day.
He stated that he had traveledfrom Oklahoma with Madison and
her two children in hisblue-colored Dodge Durango
bearing an Indianapolis licenseplate.
They stayed at a trap housewithin the city of Indianapolis
so that he and Marshall coulduse drugs.
He further stated that Madisonhad made the decision to abandon
her son at the trap housebefore leaving to go to Colorado

(14:11):
.
So how long was this?
After he got the warrant inOklahoma?

Speaker 3 (14:19):
So he got the warrant in November of 2022.
The warrant in November of 2022and this is four months after

(14:41):
that.
But Zach Snow had reported hiswas killed on February 9th.
So they're on the run a littleunder a month and they went to
Colorado.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
And they're living in a trap house in between.
These times I mean they he'sabusing, physically abusing her
and her children, or herdaughter supposedly allegedly in
Oklahoma.
They go supposedly living in atrap house in Indianapolis and
then basically they're on therun again and they can't even
keep it together long enough tonot get phone calls from the

(15:13):
people at the damn Best Westernthat they're screaming and
yelling and fighting probably.

Speaker 3 (15:18):
Oh, I bet it was a chaotic mess.

Speaker 1 (15:20):
It sounds like it Now .
In the days that followed,detectives at the Arapahoe
County Colorado Sheriff's Officeinvestigators were reviewing
Rowan's jail calls made withinthe Arapahoe County Detention
Center while he was pendingextradition back to Oklahoma.
Rowan frequently talked to hismother, identified as Brandy

(15:42):
Pearson, also known as BrandyWaters, who is a current
resident of Indianapolis,indiana.
During these calls, he informedBrandy that he had lied to the
police and had indeed beenpresent when the children were
each abandoned.
He admitted to assistingMadison with specifically
dropping Oakley off somewhere.
However, he did not providespecific details.
Brandy informed him thatMadison had his 2033 cell phone

(16:07):
now.

Speaker 3 (16:08):
Roan also spoke to Madison from the phone number
ending in 2023.
Or, excuse me, 2033.
She told him that she plannedto change her name, though she
never told him what her newalias would be.
She never told him what her newalias would be.
She explained that she hadsince made contact with his
mother, brandy, following hisarrest, and asked her what she

(16:33):
should do now.
They agreed to have Rowan'solder brother, bw, and his wife,
dw, travel to Colorado to takeher back to Indianapolis.
Traveled to Colorado to takeher back to Indianapolis.
Madison explained that Brandiwas coordinating these plans
with DW and BW on her behalf.
There was no discussion as tothe whereabouts of Oakley or her

(16:58):
son.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
I bet the cops were listening to them jail calls and
wondered man, why is she goingto change her name and go on the
run and shit?
You know what I mean.
At this point they reallydidn't know what had happened to
the babies.
So on March 6, 2023, detectivesbelieved Oakley and CS to be in
extreme danger.
Detective Tangleman requestedFBI Indianapolis assistance with

(17:23):
locating them.
Detectives in turn contactedMarion County DCS office and
confirmed that Rowan's sisterwe'll call her KW had reported
the abandonment and recovery ofCS, that's Madison's
three-month-old on February 9,2023 at approximately 7.41 pm
that night she had informed thecase workers that her brother,

(17:43):
Rowan and Madison needed to taketwo-year-old Oakley to the
hospital.
His sister was unaware if andwhen they would return.
Dcs informed the special agentthat Zach, the father of the
children, had taken back custodyof CS earlier that afternoon
and they had likely returned toOklahoma earlier that afternoon

(18:05):
and they had likely returned toOklahoma.

Speaker 3 (18:13):
Now the detectives notified the federal detectives,
notified the local detectivesof the above investigation and
requested assistance from theIMPD Missing Persons Unit.
With locating Oakley andMadison.
Detectives then traveled toBrandy's place of employment to
obtain a statement as to herknowledge of their whereabouts.
Brandy stated that Roan hadarrived in Indianapolis back in

(18:36):
early February or late Januaryof 2023.
He had traveled in hisblue-colored Dodge Durango with
his girlfriend, madison and hertwo small children.

Speaker 1 (18:47):
Now, Brandy said she had only seen them once.
However, she had allowed themto stay at one of her
residential properties locatedat 305 Albany Street,
Indianapolis, Indiana.
Brandy had bought baby formulaand supplies to assist them with
caring for the kids duringtheir stay, Since they had
arrived with nothing for thechildren.
She knew Roan and Madison toactively use drugs, including

(19:08):
during their recent visit toIndiana drugs, including during
their recent visit to Indiana.

Speaker 3 (19:14):
Brandy recalled Roan's friend named Tennessee,
calling her on or about February9, 2023, to say that Roan and
Madison had left him alone withCS, the three-month-old baby.
Now he requested that sheimmediately come to 305 Albany
Street to take custody of him.
Brandy agreed and rushed to thehouse.

(19:35):
Upon her arrival, she observedTennessee standing outside the
front of the house holding thebaby.
The baby had no clothes on.
Brandy then contacted Rowan'ssister, kw, to come to the house
to help take care of the baby.
This was because Brandy neededto return to work.
That sister KW to come to thehouse to help take care of the
baby.
This was because Brandy neededto return to work that day.

(19:55):
Kw agreed and arrived shortlythereafter.

Speaker 1 (20:00):
Brandy was aware of Rowan's arrest in Colorado and
had spoken to him multiple timesover jail calls since then.
She stated that she had agreedto help Marshall return to
Indiana because she did notthink that Marshall quote had
anybody else.
Therefore she sent her eldestson, rowan's brother BW, to
Colorado to pick her up and alsowere to recover Rowan's Dodge

(20:22):
Durango.
She reported that BW hadsuccessfully returned with both
Madison and the vehicle toIndianapolis in the days that
followed.

Speaker 3 (20:30):
Madison and the vehicle to Indianapolis.
In the days that followed,brandy identified her cell phone
number ending in 2483 andinformed the detectives that it
was her understanding thatMadison now had custody of
Roan's cell phone ending in 2033and she believed that Marshall
had taken it prior to Roangetting arrested in Colorado

(20:53):
earlier that month.

Speaker 1 (20:55):
Next, the detectives interviewed Rowan's sister.
She also had stated thatFebruary 9, 2023, that Brandy
had called her to ask to comeand help at the Albany Street
address to help take care of thebaby.
She agreed and she rushed overthere to help.
She also then called Rowan bycell phone to ask why he and
Madison had left the baby alone.

(21:15):
He explained that Oakley hadbeen bouncing on a bouncy ball
that day and had fallen.
He claimed that, as a result ofher injury, he and Madison
needed to take her to theemergency room.
Given the above circumstances,she feared for the baby's
well-being at the Albany Streetresidence and asked her husband
to come with her so she couldtemporarily take care of the

(21:36):
baby at her own house.
Approximately 15 minutes laterher husband arrived.
Rowan and Madison got back tothe Albany Street residence
about the same time.
Kw neither saw Oakley nor didshe attempt to speak with Rowan
or Madison before departing withthe baby.
She explained to the FBI agentand the local police that she

(21:58):
did not believe that Rowan andMadison could have driven Oakley
to the nearest hospital andthen returned back to the house
in that short amount of time.

Speaker 3 (22:06):
Wow so.

Speaker 1 (22:08):
What she's saying is basically they were gone.
They left the baby there withthe dude named Tennessee, which
we don't know anything about him.
He probably could have been ingood duty.
Obviously he was callingsomebody.
Hey, you guys need to come takecare of this baby.

Speaker 3 (22:20):
Yeah, and you could tell she was pissed when they
pulled up because she just cutout with the baby.

Speaker 1 (22:26):
Didn't even say shit to him, no, and in the back of
her mind she's thinkingsomething's fucked up, because
she's probably been to emergencyrooms with kids and shit.
I mean, you take a little babyto the emergency room, it's not
a 15-minute, 30-minute ordeal.
So she was already skeptical oftheir bullshit at this point
already.

Speaker 3 (22:43):
And thank God, she took that baby with her and
contacted DCS that night andasked them to take custody of
the baby.
Dcs that night and asked themto take custody of the baby.
She further informed them ofthe possible circumstances of
Oakley being taken to thehospital for a head injury.
Earlier that day, kw informedthe detectives that she had

(23:04):
previously provided the sameinformation to detectives with
the scso.
Kw further stated that on thenight of march 3rd 2023, madison
arrived at her residence askingif she could stay there.
Kw told her that she could stayonly if she told her where

(23:30):
oakley was.
Madison refused and left herproperty on foot.
Kw had not seen or spoken toMadison since that time.
However, she recalled visitingRowan and Madison at 305 Albany
Street back in late January whenthey had first arrived in

(23:50):
Indianapolis.
In late January, when they hadfirst arrived in Indianapolis,
she observed both Oakley and thebaby to be present at their
house that day.
She additionally observedMadison assisting Oakley helping
her use the bathroom.
At one point, kw saw bruisingalong Oakley's legs.
She immediately confronted bothof them as to the source of

(24:13):
Oakley's visible injuries.
Roan and Madison both becameextremely defensive and ordered
her to leave the house.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
His sister.
Man, she must be somewhat of adecent person.
She's basically a stranger tothese kids.
You know what I mean.
And just to have the heart tobe reaching out and looking out
for these babies at this time, Imean she was even like, yeah,
you can stay here, but you gotto tell me where that you little
girl is.
Like tell me where she's at, oryou can't stay here.

Speaker 3 (24:44):
Good for her.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
Hell yeah, good for her.
I guess since Oakley'sdisappearance the sister had
made efforts to find out whathappened to her.
She stated that she had visitedmultiple nearby hospitals, all
of which were unable to confirmif Oakley was ever a patient.
She also spoke with theneighbors of the Albany Street
address about any informationthat may have led to about the

(25:08):
day that Oakley was last seen to.
About the day that Oakley waslast seen, one unidentified
nearby resident stated that hehad last observed Waters and
Madison leaving the house withwhat looked like a child wrapped
in a blanket.
He stated that the child didnot appear to be moving, talking
or crying.

Speaker 3 (25:25):
Roan's sister, kw, informed detectives that Roan
and Madison had told her thatthey had voluntarily chosen to
give up Oakley in Indianapolis.
She quoted them as collectivelysaying we handled it and that
they had a hard decision to make.
They were unwilling to provideany further details as to how

(25:48):
they had given her up or whereshe was now.
Kw believed that they hadlikely harmed Oakley and that
she was in extreme danger.

Speaker 1 (26:04):
Detectives identified Community South Hospital,
Indianapolis, Indiana, and RileyHospital for Children as the
most likely places that Rowanand Madison could have taken
Oakley if she were sufferingfrom a severe physical injury
could have taken Oakley if shewere suffering from a severe
physical injury.
It was verified through thesecurity offices of both
hospitals that Oakley was nevera patient there and that they
had not located a two-year-oldwhite abandoned female there in
2023.

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Rowan's sister identified Rowan's close friend
and roommate at the AlbanyStreet address as a black male
known as tennessee.
She stated that tennessee waspresent at the house the day
that everything happened.
On march 7, 2023, detectivesinterviewed tennessee after

(26:45):
locating him at the albanystreet address.
He stated that he had beenfriends with ronan madison and
recalled when he intermittentlyresided at the residence back in
late January of 2023.
Tennessee stated that Roan andMadison were drug users.
They typically snorted heroin,which would cause them to be

(27:06):
non-functioning for prolongedperiods of time.
He further described Roan andMadison's care towards the
children as relativelyinattentive.
They rarely fed or held themand instead would place them in
front of the TV for the majorityof the day.
He never saw them provide thechildren with any love or
affection.

(27:26):
However, tennessee did observebruising on Oakley's leg prior
to her disappearance.

Speaker 1 (27:33):
Tennessee also remembered seeing Oakley earlier
in the day on February 9th.
She walked up to him when hefirst entered the Albany Street
residence that morning and sheallowed him to pick her up.
However, he noticed she waswearing makeup around her eyes
and mouth.
He had never seen her wearmakeup before and it appeared
that had been applied by anadult.
He also noticed a line goingfrom her bottom lip to her chin

(27:56):
that resembled a bruise.
He then left the house and didnot return until later that day.
This was the last time he sawOakley.
Later that day he observedRowan briefly arrive at Brandy's
nearby place of employment.
Tennessee was also visitingthere at that time.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
Rowan seemed in a rush.
He was also close friends with.
He remembered B Watersreceiving a call from Brandy
later that afternoon in whichshe was extremely upset.
B Waters responded by saying Idon't know what the fuck Rowan
has going on, but you all needto deal with it.
B Waters then hung up the phone.
Tennessee stated that he wouldnot tell him what the call was

(28:51):
about that day and had sincebecome much more distant towards
him.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Later that night Tennessee returned to Albany
Street.
He witnessed both Rowan andMadison there without either of
their children.
Both of them seemed high ondrugs to the point of being
incapacitated.
And it seemed like they wasjust getting fucked up.
And you can't have two heroinaddicts snorting heroin and
nodding off, constantly tryingto take care of a

(29:16):
three-month-old and aone-year-old?

Speaker 3 (29:18):
A one-year-old?
No, that don't happen.
On March 18th 2023, zachrecontacted the detectives.
He informed them that he hadidentified an additional
Facebook account that hebelieved Madison was now
actively using.
He was Facebook friends with aBT who was previously identified

(29:47):
Facebook account.
Because of this, he was able toview additional content within
BT's profile to include the postmade to her timeline in recent
days.
Zach provided details withscreenshots that he had taken on
his phone of BT's Facebooktimeline.

(30:07):
The screenshot showed a post onMarch 4th 2023 from a Facebook
account maintaining the usernameBunny Cooper.

Speaker 1 (30:18):
The post specifically said and stated text me ASAP.
With a smiley face with hearts,zach stated that he was
confident that the Facebookaccount belonged to Madison.
He explained that Bunny was anickname that her friend used
for Madison.
Furthermore, cooper was herfather's last name and her
former maiden name.
I bet this dude was justflipping out man.

(30:39):
His babies are missing.
He's off with this dude.
It's smacking him all the time.
The poor dude was going nuts,I'm sure.

Speaker 3 (30:46):
Oh, absolutely, and it looks like.
Oh, Miss Madison Marshall wasmarried and divorced.
You see that.

Speaker 1 (30:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (30:59):
Because her maiden name is Cooper.

Speaker 1 (31:01):
But anyway, he was avidly playing detective man
going through you know Facebookfriends that she could have had
used to have and everything.
He even knew nicknames.
He was searching everything youknow he was.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
On March 23, 2023, members of the FBI Charlotte
Field Office located Madison ather friend's confirmed residence
in Bunn-Level, north Carolina.
Upon her arrest, task forceofficers and the FBI presented
Marshall with her Miranda rightsand the FBI presented Marshall
with her Miranda rights.

(31:32):
She understood her rights andvoluntarily waived them by
signing an advice of rights form.
Madison ultimately told thetask force officer that Roan had
killed Oakley at approximately1.30 pm on February 9th 2023.

Speaker 1 (31:49):
Boom, she spilled the beans instantly because at this
point they were just looking towhere they had abandoned the
kids at.
I mean, they really didn't haveany idea if they had sold them
or they had been kidnapped orthey had dropped them off
somewhere.
They had no clue.
And then, boom, they get herand she immediately says Rowan
killed her.

Speaker 3 (32:08):
Instantly.

Speaker 1 (32:10):
In her first interview, madison had been in
the kitchen of the Albany StreetIndianapolis residence when
Rowan entered, holding Oakley.
Oakley was no longer wearingclothes and was not responsive.
Rowan initially tried to puther in the bathtub to immerse
her in cold water, in the hopesof reviving her.
When that failed, he wrappedOakley in a pink and black

(32:31):
colored blanket that had heartson it and had put her in a rear
passenger seat of his DodgeDurango.

Speaker 3 (32:37):
Now, before departing , he informed Madison that he
intended to take Oakley to thehospital.
She stated that she tried tocall 911 as Oakley appeared to
be dying, but Rowan struck herhand hard enough to knock the
phone out of her hands.
He then disconnected the call.
Madison stated that Rowanreturned approximately an hour

(32:59):
and a half later.
He had only had the blanketthat Oakley had previously been
wrapped in, and he stated thathe left her body in the naked
woods.
Now, remember, this is herfirst interview.

Speaker 1 (33:14):
Right and knowing what we know now, she was only
telling about half the truth.

Speaker 3 (33:18):
Right.

Speaker 1 (33:19):
Rowan informed her that he had taken Oakley to his
grandparents' property inMartinsville, indiana.
He further explained that hehad laid Oakley's body in the
woods somewhere on theirproperty.
Madison stated that it couldhave been in an abandoned house
either on or near the area.
Based on her recollection ofRowan's explanation that day and

(33:40):
the days that followed, shesaid that she was unfamiliar
with his family outside of hismother and siblings.
She claimed that she hadneither met his grandparents nor
had she ever been to theMartinsville address he spoke of
.

Speaker 3 (33:52):
The FBI and IMPD determined that day that Rowan
did indeed have family thatcurrently resided in
Martinsville, Indiana.

Speaker 1 (34:02):
They identified the property owners as Rowan Waters'
grandparents from Martinsville,Indiana.
The detectives traveled to thelocation on Redbud Lane that
night and made contact with thegrandparents.
They confirmed that the RedbudLane was their residential home
address.
The residence of Sedwick Roadwas located just north of their
home within the same propertyboundaries and had previously

(34:25):
inhabited by Rowan'sgreat-grandparents before they
had died decades earlier, thenexplained how they now owned
both properties.

Speaker 3 (34:35):
The grandfather stated that he was Rowan's
step-grandfather when Rowan andhis siblings were children.
They had come to their homemany times on Redbud Lane and
played in the woods around theirproperty.
They had not seen Rowan inseveral years, though they did
not recall seeing or hearingfrom him in February of 2023,

(34:57):
nor did they ever observe aDodge Durango on their property
in February or any timethereafter.
However, they explained thattheir property between Redbud
and Sedwick was over 20 acresand heavily wooded.
They said it was possible hecould have came down there to

(35:20):
either of the properties duringthat time without their
knowledge, and they had neverseen Oakley and were unaware of
her disappearance.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Oh, that's highly possible.
I've been out in that area, man, and it is heavily wooded.
It's beautiful out thereactually.
Rowan's grandparents alsoprovided verbal consent for the
investigators to search theirproperties of Redbud Lane and
Sedgwick Road.
Detectives and the assistingpolice officers and deputies
from the Morgan County Indianasheriffs were unable to locate

(35:48):
Oakley that night.

Speaker 3 (35:50):
On April 4, 2023, detective spoke with Rowan's
sister, kw.
He asked her if she had anyfamily residing in Martinsville,
indiana.
She immediately named hergrandparents and their residence
on Redbud Lane.
She stated that Rowan was veryfamiliar with their property due
to how often they would playthere as children.

(36:12):
She and Rowan had variouslocations within the wooded area
that they liked to go,including hollowed out trees,
deer stands, sheds and otherenclosures on the property.

Speaker 1 (36:25):
On April 5, 2023, the MCSC authorized warrants to
seize and search the cellulartelephone from Tennessee, as
well as the cellular phone thatbelonged to Brandy.
The MCSC also issued a warrantfor investigators to search the
Albany Street, indianapolisaddress for the pink and black

(36:48):
colored blanket that Oakley'sbody had been wrapped up in.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
On April 6, 2023, detectives executed the search
warrant at the Albany Streetresidence to recover the pink
and black blanket.
Tennessee was present at thehouse during its execution and
recalled seeing a blanket thatmatched its description when
Rowan had lived there withMadison and her kids.
However, investigators wereunable to find it that day.

Speaker 1 (37:14):
On April 5, 2023, tennessee was re-interviewed and
this time he providedadditional details about the
events that transpired onFebruary 9.
He admitted to receiving aphone call from Madison that
afternoon saying that Oakley hadbeen hurt and that he needed to
return to the Albany Streetaddress.
He remembered her voice beingmatter-of-fact, saying that he

(37:36):
needed to bring the Durango backhome for them.
Upon his arrival home, he didnot see Oakley, however.
Rowan told him multiple timesthat he fucked up.
He recalled taking custody ofthe baby while both of them left
the house for several hours.
They returned alone andTennessee was still unaware of
Oakley's whereabouts.
At the conclusion of theinterview, detectives seized his

(37:57):
phone.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
As Tennessee was providing the above statement,
brandy Pearson, rowan's mother,was being re-interviewed.
She ultimately provided clearerdetails about the series of
events that transpired onFebruary 9th 2023.
She stated that Rowan hadcalled her in the mid-afternoon

(38:20):
of February 9th.
He seemed to panic and told herthat he had to take Oakley to
the emergency room because shehad fallen off a bouncy ball and
hit her head room because shehad fallen off a bouncy ball and
hit her head.
He did not ask her for anythingat that time and seemed to only
want to notify her of thesituation.
Brandy could tell that he wasinside of a vehicle when he made

(38:43):
the call because she could hearhis voice echo as if he was
currently sitting in a smallenclosed place.
She could also hear a femalespeaking to him in the
background.
She strongly believed that thisfemale was madison and that she
was in the vehicle with him.

(39:03):
She could not recall if thefemale's voice also sound
panicked.
Brandy recalled that tennesseetold her that he was home alone
watching the baby.
Brandy then picked the baby up.
She brought the baby to herplace of employment while she
waited for rowan's sister, kw,to arrive to take custody of him

(39:25):
.
Hours later, rowan called hismother back, he stated that
madison had made the decision toabandon Oakley at the hospital.
He provided no further detailsand become agitated when she
tried to question him further onthis.
Detectives asked Brandy if shehad any prior knowledge of the

(39:46):
circumstances of Oakley'sdisappearance that she had not
previously disclosed to IMPD orthe FBI.
They showed her the recordsfrom her 2483 cell phone to
emphasize that recurring andfrequent contacts she had with
Roan that day surrounding thelikely time that Oakley was
harmed.

Speaker 1 (40:08):
You notice something funny about these interviews.
You can just tell it keepssaying.
It says re-interviewed and thefirst interview it seems like
they were letting out a littlebit of information here just
enough to pacify that we don'tknow shit.
You know what I mean.
And then, when they'rere-interviewed, a little bit of
more shit comes out.

Speaker 3 (40:31):
They're just making themselves look guilty because
if I was in a room for somethingthat serious I'd spill
everything I knew.
Now brandy denied knowing anyfurther details, but believe it
was possible that roan couldhave harmed oakley.
Detectives next asked brandy ifshe had members of her family
secure the whereabouts ofMadison and return her to

(40:54):
Indianapolis following Roan'sarrest in Colorado, because she
feared that Madison would reportto the police what had actually
happened to Oakley.
Detectives asked if Madison hadconfided to her information
regarding her son's culpabilityin Oakley's demise, which was
why Madison was suddenly takento the Greyhound bus station to

(41:17):
ensure that she left the state.

Speaker 1 (41:19):
What do you think about that shit?

Speaker 3 (41:21):
The cops were already on to it.

Speaker 1 (41:23):
Yeah, so I mean.

Speaker 3 (41:25):
She wanted her out of this state, so nobody could
find her.
So that's why she put her onthe Greyhound bus.
Rowan was locked up in Coloradoand she was trying to get rid
of her.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
See, when people start getting locked up, other
people start talking.
You notice that?
Yeah, Quickly Now.
Brandi did admit buying a cellphone for Madison before she
left, but denied paying for theticket.
She again denied any furtherknowledge as to what happened to
Oakley or where she was now.
Detectives then asked Brandy ifshe would be willing to take a

(42:01):
polygraph test as to thetruthfulness of her statement
that day.
She initially agreed and wasintroduced to the FBI
Indianapolis certifiedpolygrapher by the special agent
.
Brandy then requested toconsult with her attorney by way
of cell phone call.

Speaker 3 (42:15):
I bet she did.

Speaker 1 (42:16):
I bet she did.
Yeah, I'll take it.
Oh, here's the FBI.
Let me talk to my attorneyright, quick, Real quick, before
I do this.
After a private consultation,brandi informed the detectives
that she now declined to submitto the test.
They then served her with awarrant to seize her 2483 cell
phone.

Speaker 3 (42:33):
Oh, you know she had no intentions on ever taking
that polygraph.
She was hoping, oh, I'll justsay yeah and they'll schedule me
for another day.
They didn't know they was goingto hit her with oh well, here
he is.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Yeah, they called her bluff like right from the gate.
It's like one of theminterviews.
You see, would you be willingto take a polygraph test?
Well, yes, I would Damn it.
I didn't think he said he would.

Speaker 3 (42:55):
So detectives were provided with the details of
Madison's second statement.
Detectives and members of theINPD and FBI immediately
searched many various areas ofMartinsville, indiana, in the
days and weeks that followed.
This was all done withoutinitial success of locating

(43:17):
Oakley.
These efforts includedcoordination with local law
enforcement agencies, amultitude of interviews of local
residents living in the areaand surrounding Redbud Lane.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
On April 20th 2023, officers extradited Madison back
to Indianapolis, Indiana, forcharges of neglect.

Speaker 3 (43:37):
On April 21st 2023, detectives and special agents
took temporary custody ofMadison for the purposes of
re-interviewing her about herknowledge and involvement in
Oakley's disappearance.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
Here's where the truth really starts coming out.

Speaker 3 (43:54):
Madison was presented with an advice of rights form.
She stated she understood herrights and voluntarily waived
them by signing the form.
They next drove her to AlbanyStreet.
Marshall immediately recognizedthe residence as the house she
had stayed in with Rowan andTennessee and her children

(44:17):
during portions of January andFebruary of 2023.
She also mentioned that Rowan'sbrother had occasionally stayed
at the residence as well.
She explained that there was aTV just to the right of the
front door, which hung over thetwo front windows of the house.
If you turned left from thefront door, you entered the

(44:39):
dining room, which connected toa small living room.
The first floor bedroom openedto this living room.
The first floor bedroom openedto this living room.
The living room was alsoconnected to a small hallway
that led to a full bathroom,kitchen, access to stairway to
the second floor and then accessto the basement.
Rowan and Madison had sharedthe first floor bedroom, while

(45:01):
Oakley had slept on a cot in theliving room and the baby slept
in a pack and play that was keptin the same room.
Marshall then once againprovided a statement as to the
events that transpired onFebruary 9th 2023.

Speaker 1 (45:17):
She recalled the ongoing physical abuse that
Oakley had endured at the handsof Rowan in the months leading
up to her death.
He would frequently whoop orspank her as a form of
discipline.
He had also occasionally chokedher out.
Jeez man, a two-year-old.
How in the fuck do you choke atwo-year-old out?

Speaker 3 (45:37):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (45:39):
I mean in all reality .
I mean Madison should have gother fucking shit and her kids
and left right.
Then I mean you see your littletwo-year-old getting choked out
.

Speaker 3 (45:48):
She should have never even went back to him after he
busted her lip back in Octoberof the previous year.

Speaker 1 (45:55):
Yeah, you open-hand smack.
I don't know if Oakley was twoat this point in time.

Speaker 3 (46:01):
No, she was just like one and a half.

Speaker 1 (46:03):
You open-hand smack a baby that age enough to bust
the inside of her lip.

Speaker 3 (46:08):
He needs his ass whipped.

Speaker 1 (46:08):
I mean that's strike one and then you smack the shit
out of her and choke her out.
I mean, it just kind of goes toshow what holds drugs, and you
know, fake reality can do foryou, I guess.
Anyway, that's the excuses thathe gave to this type of
discipline included her cryingand urinating in her diaper, oh,

(46:31):
and holding a fork the wrongway, and you know common
behavior of a toddler.
The abuse was so bad thatOakley stopped eating around
Rowan.
This was because he regularlybecame aggressive with her when
she would not eat the pace thathe wanted her to eat to, became
aggressive with her when shewould not eat the pace that he
wanted her to eat to.
Madison attempted time and timeagain to explain to him that

(46:51):
she was only two years old andshe did not understand what he
was wanting her to do.
However, his physical abusetoward Oakley would often get
redirected towards Madison ifshe would attempt to interfere
with it.
She remembered having separateoccasions and conversations with
Rowan's brother and sisterabout the abuse.
She specifically asked Rowan'sbrother to talk to him on about

(47:13):
February 8, 2023.
The day before Oakley ismurdered.
Rowan's brother came to thehouse at Albany Street and
argued with Rowan Waters infront of the house on the lawn,
but his brother shortly leftafter that without finding a
resolution to it.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
On the morning of February 9th 2023, madison and
Rowan woke up to Oakley cryingbecause she was hungry.
Rowan threw Oakley onto thefloor in response to this, due
to her crying had agitated him.
Her head's impact with thefloor had caused oakley to have

(47:52):
a red bump above her right eye.
Madison applied some of her ownmakeup to oakley's face to try
to hide the bruise.
Tennessee came downstairs atsome point that day and
socialized with them.
Madison prepared some ramennoodles for Oakley as a snack

(48:13):
because she was hungry.
Madison then started preparinglunch for everyone.
Tennessee said that he wasgoing to the gas station to get
some Swisher cigars.
Oakley initially tried tofollow him out of the house, but
he stopped her and told herthat he would be right back.
Oakley next entered the kitchenand said Mama, eat.

(48:33):
Madison told her that she wasmaking them all food and to wait
in the other room.
Oakley then walked into theliving room where Rowan was
watching TV while the baby laidon the floor in front of him.

Speaker 1 (48:47):
Shortly thereafter, madison began hearing Rowan yell
at Oakley.
He was specifically orderingher to bounce on the bouncy ball
.
Madison described the ball asbeing made of rubber and
inflatable.
It maintained a handle on topof it which allowed kids to
lightly bounce up and down asthey sat on it.
Madison further stated Oakleyhad likely been too small to sit

(49:07):
on it by herself.
She recalled hearing Rowan'svoice continually get louder and
angry as he told her to bounce.
Madison yelled back at himmultiple times to calm down and
that Oakley probably didn'tunderstand what he was wanting
her to do.
After the fifth and loudesttime that he yelled at her,
madison stopped what she wasdoing in the kitchen and walked

(49:27):
into the living room.
She observed Rowan standingover Oakley as she sat trying to
bounce on the ball.
Rowan told Madison to quitcoming in there and sat back
down on the couch.
Madison took his retreat as thematter being resolved, so she
went back to the kitchen toprepare their meal.

Speaker 3 (49:47):
Madison did not recall hearing anything else
from the living room untilapproximately 10 minutes later.
At that time, Rowan screamedfor her twice.
She had never heard Rowan soundlike that before.
She immediately ran towards theliving room.
She met him in the hallway ashe held oakley in his arms.
She saw that oakley was notmoving.

(50:08):
Rowan began saying that hedidn't do anything and it wasn't
his fault.
He initially refused to letmadison take oakley from him and
stripped off her clothes.
Madison could see oakley'sstomach and chest cavity extend
as if she was trying to breathethere.
However, she observed whatappeared to be a mix of blood

(50:30):
and spit dripping from her mouthwhen she tried to exhale, which
created a gurgling sound.
Oakley's eyes remained closedthroughout this time.
Rome placed her in a nearbybathtub and attempted to douse
her in cold water to wake her up.
When that failed, he broughtOakley into their bedroom and

(50:53):
handed her to Madison.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
Rowan seen Madison attempting to call 911 and
slapped the phone from her hands.
He then took control of thecell phone.
Madison could tell Oakley wasdying and at some point Rowan
returned the phone to her andshe called Tennessee to tell him
that something had happened toOakley was dying.
And at some point Rowanreturned the phone to her and
she called Tennessee to tell himthat something had happened to
Oakley and that he needed tocome home.
When he entered minutes laterhe stated I knew I shouldn't
have left.
Madison explained to this thathe knew he shouldn't have left

(51:19):
Rowan alone with Oakley.
This was because he had likelyheard and been aware of the
physical abuse that Rowan hadcontinually inflicted on her
since moving to the AlbanyStreet address.

Speaker 3 (51:29):
Rowan next wrapped Oakley in a blanket that his
mother, brandy, had recentlypurchased.
Madison described the blanketas being pink and black, with
flowers on it.
She also added that it was aVictoria's Secret brand blanket.
Victoria's Secret brand blanket.
Rowan placed Oakley in the backseat of the Durango so that her

(51:49):
feet were facing the driver'sside and her head was towards
the passenger side.
He entered the driver's seatand Madison entered the rear
passenger seat to be with Oakley.
She held Oakley in her lap andoccasionally opened the blanket
to examine her.
By this time, oakley hadstopped trying to breathe and
her lips had become blue.
Madison felt her skin, whichnow seemed to be cool to the

(52:14):
touch.
She could no longer feel aheartbeat as she held her to
further examine her, but saw nomovement or response in them.
She held Oakley's hand beforeeventually climbing up in the
front seat next to Rowan.

Speaker 1 (52:32):
I mean, what is your hit the stop button on this
whole fucking fantasy realitypoint in this.
You know what I mean.
It should have been when he waschoking her out, or all the
beatings and shit the firstcouple times.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
The first time.
Yeah, your one-year-old littlebaby.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
I mean he's bringing you the baby and the poor little
baby is gurgling and obviouslyI mean you literally say to the
police that you could tell thatyour baby was dying.
You let this dude smack thephone out of your hand.

Speaker 3 (53:02):
I mean, come on, she could have took that baby and
ran out that house, ran down theroad next door.
There's a gas station on everycorner in Indianapolis.
You know she could have gotsomewhere to call for help for
her child.

Speaker 1 (53:17):
I mean honestly, at this very point in time, she
could have stopped all this, notbeen in any trouble, you know,
and I mean maybe a little bit ofneglect for even being with the
dude, I would say at this point.

Speaker 3 (53:31):
And letting him beat on her kids.

Speaker 1 (53:32):
She could have hit the freaking out button at this
point any time and probablysaved this little girl's life.
That's horrible.

Speaker 3 (53:40):
Now.
Roan drove them away from theAlbany Street towards what
seemed like another town.
She remembered seeing a signthat said martinsville.
Now, remember, she is tellingdetectives the story ours there,
in route to look for oakley'sbody.
As the detective drove past theruben drive and hospital road

(54:01):
exit on 69 south madison,observed a large concrete pillar
that had the word Martinsvilleover it.
She stated that this was likelythe Martinsville sign that she
had first reported seeing.
During her drive with Roan todispose of Oakley on February
9th, the police drove Madisonpast the property of Redbud Lane

(54:25):
.

Speaker 1 (54:26):
Madison said the road seemed somewhat familiar but
could not positively identifyRowan's grandfather's house that
Rowan had attempted to show herin February.
They two drive southbound onRedbud Lane until they come to a
T intersection at Railroad Road.
Madison became excited andstated she confidently

(54:46):
remembered this intersection.
She told the detectives to turneastbound on Railroad Road and
then south towards the extensivetree line Following this.
Madison did not seem torecognize any of the terrain
features, residents or roadsthat we traveled past.
She continued to providedetails about the abandoned
house where Oakley was left.
As they drove they eventuallyturned up South Bear Waller Road

(55:10):
, located in Morgantown, indiana.
Morgantown was directly southof Martinsville and only about
15 minutes from Redbud Lane.
When searched on Google Maps,detectives directed Madison's
attention to the run-down woodenhouse that sat at the top of a
steep hill near a gravel road.
The gravel road led to twonearby residences.

(55:32):
Madison immediately stated ohmy God, that's it.
She repeated this several timesand added that she was 100%
confident that this was thelocation that they had left
Oakley.
She was hysterically sobbing atthis time.
I bet it was kind of you know.

Speaker 3 (55:49):
She's sober by this point.
She's been in jail for a minute.
She's sober by this point, youknow.
I bet it's all hitting her.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
Right Then the emotional state that she had to
be in, I mean from seeing thesign in Martinsville and then
it's all slowly coming back toher and, like you said, she's
sober, her emotions are notnumbed, her feelings are not
numbed, and this is what she'sgoing through, and it must have
been a whirlwind.

Speaker 3 (56:15):
Detectives requested the assistance of IMPD missing
persons, lieutenant King, whohad been following in his car
during the drive that day toremain with Madison.
While we went to look at theproperty, detectives climbed the
hill and noticed that no FordMustang or any other vehicle was
parked in front of it.
However, they noticed rutsalong the nearby paved road at

(56:38):
the bottom of the hill thatshowed that something heavy had
been towed or dragged away fromthe premises at some point.
Heavy had been towed or draggedaway from the premises at some
point.
On a further note, theabandoned house had been
predominantly made of wood,though not much of its exterior
or interior remained.
It appeared to have been aone-story single family home

(57:03):
with an attached garage.
They circled the exterior whilethe special agent entered
through an opening in the wall.
The interior was extensivelycluttered with trash and debris
and was difficult to walkthrough.
The special agent stronglysmelled a sour odor coming from
deeper in the partially exposedliving room.

(57:26):
Detectives neared the kitchen,which shared a wall with the
living room, and also smelledthe odor.
They immediately knew it to bethe smell of a decomposing body
through their training andexperience.
They strongly felt the odor wascoming from a wooden dresser
leaning against the living roomwall near the kitchen.

(57:47):
Both parties departed from thestructure and obtained a warrant
from the MCSC to search it forthe remains of Oakley.

Speaker 1 (57:57):
At that point they were like we found her.
You know they were.
Now the Indiana state policeand crime scene investigator
arrived within an hour of thewarrant, with the warrant being
granted, and initiated thetaking of photographs of the
property.
Detectives informed him of thenature of the investigation and
likelihood that Oakley was inthe dresser.

(58:17):
Csi Russell confirmed upon hisfurther examination of the
interior of the residence thatthe decomposing remains of a
small child were in the bottomdrawer of the identified dresser
.
Morgan County Coroner arrivedat the scene following this and
led to the recovery of thechild's remains.
Given the state of the dresser,the upper portion had to be

(58:38):
physically removed to notdisturb the fragile remains in
the bottom shelf.
Upon removing the upper portion, they could clearly see the
decomposing body of whatappeared to be an adolescent
female.
A thin board had either fallenor been placed over the body
which partially protected herright arm from further the same
level of decomposition of therest of her.

(59:00):
However, the blonde hair hadremained attached to her skull
and had been left in a looseponytail by a black-colored hair
tie.
Additionally, her left leg wasclearly broken at the knee so
that the left foot resteddirectly over her chest.
A blue and white-colored sockwas still worn on this foot.
Given the state of the remains,the coroner advised that the

(59:23):
body should be transportedintact with the dresser drawer
still underneath it.
They also requested to have theIndiana State Police Lab
conduct testing on the drawerfor any remaining touch, dna and
or fingerprints.
Gosh, that was hard to read.

Speaker 3 (59:38):
That's horrible so not only did he beat her and
kill her when he got her poorbody to the old, abandoned house
, he just shoved her in thedresser and broke her legs, her
leg.

Speaker 1 (59:52):
Yeah, snapped it and wore a poor little baby foot
with a little colored sock laidon her chest.
I mean, you know we read thesestories listeners out there and
I'm sure you guys listening youget a picture of this shit in
your head and that right thereis just heart-wrenching.

Speaker 3 (01:00:16):
Now regarding rowan's family, madison reiterated that
she did indeed tell rowan'smother, brandy, that her son had
killed her child.
Brandy was told that after shewas brought back to indianapolis
, byan's brother BW and hisgirlfriend DW.
Brandy responded by defensivelytelling Madison that Roan had
just gotten out of prison andthat she was not going to allow

(01:00:40):
Madison to put him back in it.
To put him back in it, brandythen informed Madison that she
would buy her a bus ticket towherever she wanted to go, with
the expectation that she wouldnot return to Indiana.
Brandy also provided Madisonwith a cell phone and $200 in
cash.
Madison agreed and accepted thepayment before departing to

(01:01:02):
North Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:01:03):
Well, she was cheap to buy, wasn't she?
$200 and a bus ticket.
On April 24, 2023, detectivesattended the autopsy of the
recovered adolescent female,which was conducted at the
Morgan County Coroner's Office.
At the conclusion of theautopsy, csi Russell collected
the drawer as evidence, packedand sealed it in a cardboard box

(01:01:23):
and secured it in the lockedand secured area of the
coroner's office.
On April 25th, detectivesreturned to the Morgan County
Coroner's Office and retrievedthe drawer and transported it to
ISP Crime Lab in Indianapolisfor further testing and
examination.

Speaker 3 (01:01:39):
So it's been two years since Oakley Snow's body
was found in that dresser drawerand the fight for justice
hasn't let up.
Madison, marshall and RowanWaters are still behind bars,
waiting for their day in court.
Madison's original charges weresecond degree murder, child
endangerment and obstruction ofjustice for her role in Oakley's

(01:02:01):
death and the cover up.
What exactly is Rowan facing?

Speaker 1 (01:02:06):
Rowan got a heavier load, as he should have, I think
.
I don't know, I'm kind of mixedup on that, maybe.

Speaker 3 (01:02:12):
They both should have been even.

Speaker 1 (01:02:14):
Absolutely, because she could have prevented it.
And if you could preventsomething like that from
happening, I mean in this stateand nature of this crime, then
absolutely she should have beenguilty just as much as he was.
But he was charged with firstdegree murder, aggravated child
abuse, kidnapping and tamperingwith evidence.

Speaker 3 (01:02:37):
Prosecutors say he's the one who drove this tragedy
from the start, but Madisonflipped the script.
On May 1st 2025, she pleadedguilty to manslaughter and child
endangerment as part of a pleadeal facing 25 years.
In exchange, she's set totestify against Rowan in his
trial now scheduled for June 9,2025,.
After a delay to prepare forher testimony, Madison claims

(01:03:01):
she was under duress controlledby Rowan Court, filings back her
story.
Some see her testimony as a keyto nailing Rowan.
Others think she's justsidestepping what she owes
Oakley.

Speaker 1 (01:03:14):
It's a tough call, man, With Rowan's trial just
weeks away.
Madison's word could unravelwhat happened to Oakley or bury
the truth deeper.
We're all still waiting on theanswers on that one.

Speaker 3 (01:03:25):
Yeah, do you want to hear a fun fact about Rowan
Waters' mom, brandy?

Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
Sure.

Speaker 3 (01:03:32):
We have been told that that is allegedly Nick
Fortenberry's ex-girlfriend.
Wow, that's who he was beforehe got with Brittany, I believe.
That's an interesting allegedfact, and they're all hemmed up
on the car lot rolling backodometer scam.
You can my case them and lookthem up.

(01:03:54):
They're all hemmed up.

Speaker 1 (01:03:55):
That's a rabbit hole and a half.

Speaker 3 (01:03:57):
Oh, it goes so deep.

Speaker 1 (01:03:59):
That's a rabbit canyon, holy shit.

Speaker 3 (01:04:02):
But Oakley deserves justice and we're writing this
out until it's found for her.

Speaker 1 (01:04:08):
This was actually supposed to be 69 South's very
first episode, that's right,very first episode, and it was
so emotional and we were notready to get the podcast started
at that point in time, so I'mkind of glad we saved it till
now, where we could see thejustice start to unfold.
I think there should be Chargeson more than just those two.

(01:04:33):
I mean, you're kind of helpingAllude a crime if you know about
it and you bullshit the cops intwo interviews.
That's just allegedly, andthat's just what one person is
saying, though.

Speaker 3 (01:04:44):
Funny how, though, she ended up at the bus station
With a phone $200, and ended upin North Carolina.

Speaker 1 (01:04:50):
Yeah, like I said, that was cheap.

Speaker 3 (01:04:52):
Very.

Speaker 1 (01:04:55):
Well, that about wraps up our Oakley Snow episode
for this week.
We thank you for being with us.

Speaker 3 (01:05:13):
And we are locked in for Roan's trial and Madison's
testimony, so stay with us forthose updates.
So we have big news for our 69South podcast fans.
We've got something special foryou.
We are thrilled to announce thelaunch of our 69 South podcast,
patreon, and we want you tojoin our community of sleuths.
We are kicking off with a $5tier that unlocks awesome perks,
and we've got higher tierspacked with even more goodies

(01:05:33):
saved for later.
We have early access toepisodes behind the scenes
content, including how weresearch and craft each case,
exclusive bonus episodes andspecial shout outs.
Your support helps us keepunraveling mysteries and
delivering the true crimestories you crave.
Join us today and dive deeperinto the chaos with 69 South.

(01:05:55):
You can go to wwwpatreoncom.
Forward, forward, slash 69South, patreoncom.
Forward, slash 69 South, and wewould like to thank you for
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