The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office continues the investigation into missing Washington girl, Oakley Carlson, who hasn’t been seen in over two years.
According to KXRO News, searches over the past six weeks have been conducted at various locations with the assistance of emergency management and search and rescue resources. The ongoing efforts are based on information from the investigation into Oakley’s disappearance.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Oakley was reported missing after deputies arrived at her family’s Oakville home on December 6, 2021, to perform a welfare check, at the request of Oakville Elementary School Principal, Jessica Swift.
Swift said the first time she noticed something odd was when she brought supplies to Oakley’s parents, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson, in December 2021, following a house fire that destroyed a lot of their belongings.
“Jordan had let us know that there was a fire so I had gone out to check on them and offer support and drop off supplies from the school right after the fire,” Swift told News Nation.
“I saw all the other kids running around and playing and I didn’t see Oakley and I thought it was a little odd. I asked where she was and they told me that she was in her room in time out.”
Two weeks later, Swift returned to the home and again, didn’t see Oakley. Later, Oakley’s sister went to Swift’s home for a playdate with Swift’s daughter, and that’s when Swift learned that Oakley had not been seen in a while.
“On a playdate with my daughter and Oakley’s sister, I asked questions about Oakley,” Swift told News Nation. “And it came out over the course of those questions that Oakley wasn’t living with them anymore. I can’t describe the feeling I had at that moment, sitting on that couch with that little girl when she said that.”
Swift said she immediately contacted Grays Harbor police and made a report. When police searched the home, they saw no sign of Oakley having ever been there. Oakley’s parents have both denied knowing what happened to her.
Oakley’s sister also told investigators that Bowers “told her not to talk about Oakley” who had “gone out into the woods and had been eaten by wolves,” according to court documents. Another sibling confirmed to police that Oakley had been physically abused.
Although both parents are considered suspects in Oakley’s disappearance, neither Bowers nor Carlson have been charged for her disappearance or death. In 2022, both parents were convicted of unrelated child endangerment charges involving controlled substances.
On Monday, Bowers was sentenced Monday to a 43-month prison sentence after a “last minute” plea deal for identity theft, Fox 13 reports.
Meanwhile, an $85,000 reward, raised by the community through t-shirt sales and other functions, is currently available for anyone who has information that will lead to Oakley.
Anyone with information on the case should contact the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 360-533-8765 or send a tip to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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[Feature Photo: Oakley Carlson/Handout]
