Indiana – An Oklahoma parent and her partner, 25-year-old M. Marshall and 28-year-old R. Walters, were sentenced for the death of the woman 1-year-old child, OakIee. The child’s parent received a twenty five year prison sentence after pIeading guiIty to negIect of a dependent resuIting in death and neglect of a dependent. Her partner was sentenced to forty five years in prison after pIeading guiIty to neglect of a dependent resulting in death and two additional counts of neglect. Both sentences were handed down by Judge Harison.
The investigation into the child’s death began in Feb. 2023, when the parent was seen carrying her unresponsive child from an Indiana residence. The woman claimed she was taking the child to the hospital, but Indiana authorities later determined the child never arrived at any medical facility. In March 2023, both defendants were arrested in Colorado, after allegedly abducting the child from her father’s home in Oklahoma. They traveled to Indiana, leaving the victim’s 7-month-old sibling behind.
After the victim was reported missing, family members contacted Oklahoma authorities, leading to an investigation. The victim’s parent initially told officers she was taking the child to the hospital, but further investigation revealed inconsistencies in her statements. In April 2023, she was arrested in North Carolina and extradited to Indiana, where she led investigators to an abandoned house in Indiana. There, authorities discovered the victim’s body hidden in a dresser drawer.
During police interviews, she reportedly admitted that both she and her partner caused the child’s death. She stated that on February 9, 2023, the child woke them by crying because she was hungry.
Her partner allegedly threw the 1-year-old child on the floor and shouted at her. Later, the parent found her partner holding the girl as the child struggled to breathe. She attempted to call 911, but her partner sIapped the phone from her hand. They then wrapped the victim’s body in a blanket and disposed of it at the abandoned house.
Investigators also found evidence that the man had a history of abusing the victim for minor misbehaviors. She reportedly admitted that her partner regularly abused her child, including choking and beating her. She claimed her partner prevented her from calling 911 when her partner struggled to breathe.