Toddler found dead in drawer as mum's boyfriend 'beat her for using fork wrong'

A man who has admitted killing his girlfriend's daughter through neglect would allegedly beat her because she was holding a fork wrong.

Oaklee , just shy of two at the time, was reported along with her seven-year-old brother by dad Zachary Snow. The dad said Roan Waters, 27, and girlfriend Madison Marshall had taken the children without his permission and fled to Indiana where they would stay with Madison's mum.

The boy was reunited with Mr Snow but Oaklee's body would not be found for another three months, stuffed into a drawer and showing signs of torture. The house was also described as ridden with drugs.

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Marshall said Waters would regularly "whoop" Oaklee to discipline her for perceived misbehaving including "holding a fork wrong", urinating in her diaper and other behaviours common in toddlers.

He also "choked her out" and Marshall said the child died in 2023, reports .

The affridavit read: “She met him in the hallway as he held Oaklee in his arms. She saw that Oaklee was not moving. R. Waters continually repeated without prompting that he ‘didn’t do anything’ and that ‘it wasn’t his fault.’

"He initially refused to let Marshall take Oaklee from him and stripped her of her clothes. Marshall could see Oaklee’s stomach and chest cavity extend as if she was trying to breathe air.

"However, she observed what appeared to be a mix of blood and spittle dripping from her mouth when she tried to exhale, which created a gurgling sound. Oaklee’s eyes remained closed throughout this time.”

It continues: "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.”

Waters will plead guilty to one count of neglect of a dependent resulting in death, and two counts of neglect of a dependent. This comes as part of an agreement to take more serious crimes off the table.

Marshall also accepted a plea deal. The duo will be sentenced in June.

Earlier today, it was revealed a will for the gruesome of his seven-year-old Jaevion Riley.

Murtadah Mohammad, aged 27, was sentenced in Hillsborough Superior Court (Northern District) on Tuesday May 27 after he pleaded in April to reckless second-degree murder and falsifying physical evidence in the death of his son.

In the five days leading up to Jaevion's death in January 2023 he sustained a skull fracture, a dislodged tooth and third-degree burns to 15 percent of his body according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, and . The court heard how Mohammad waited 12 hours to call for help.