After three attempts in the courtroom, the omnibus order pertaining to the charges of identity theft levied against Jordan Bowers, the biological mother and prime suspect of missing 6-year-old Oakley Carlson, has been signed.
Bowers, who is currently being held in Grays Harbor County Jail, was present for the hearing via Zoom as the order was given to presiding Judge David Mistachkin. When asked by Mistachkin what the defense will be, Bowers’ attorney, Michael Nagle, claimed that it would be “general denial.”
According to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a general denial defense is when a defendant intends to “in good faith to deny all the allegations of a pleading.”
Following the presentation of the omnibus order, the hearing wrapped up quickly as there were no statements, pretrial motions or substantive matters that were brought up by Nagle or Prosecuting Attorney Richard Petersen. With no resolutions brought forward, Bowers will face trial for identity theft.
“I’m always willing to talk resolution your honor, but I’m not sure there’s any room for it right now,” Nagle said during the hearing.
Despite the multiple attempts to get the omnibus order signed, the trial will still commence at 8:15 a.m. on March 21 as was previously scheduled when Bowers was arraigned in January. Trial readiness is still scheduled to be held at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, March 13.
While no charges have been levied against Bowers for the disappearance of Oakley, Bowers faces anywhere between 63 to 84 months in prison if found guilty of defrauding multiple individuals.
Bowers and Andrew Carlson, Oakley’s biological father, were released from jail last year for child endangerment charges linked to another of their children being exposed to drugs. Bowers was rearrested on the identity theft charges while leaving incarceration.
Bowers and Carlson claim they last saw Oakley on Nov. 30, 2021, but the last time detectives with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office can definitively confirm Oakley was seen alive was nine months prior, on Feb. 10, 2021.
Bowers and Carlson have not cooperated with the investigation into Oakley’s disappearance or with efforts to find her.
A reward fund for information leading to Oakley’s whereabouts had reached $80,000 as of early September.
The reward fund is managed by Light the Way Missing Persons Advocacy Project.
More information on Oakley’s case and opportunities to help with the search effort can be found at https://justiceforoakley.wixsite.com/home.
Anyone with information that could aid law enforcement in their search for Oakley is encouraged to contact the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office at 360-533-8765 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST. To speak to a detective directly, contact Detective Sgt. Paul Logan at 360-964-1729 or email sodetectives@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
