New evidence submitted by the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office last week may lead to two additional charges for the biological parents of missing Oakville 5-year-old Oakley Carlson.
Oakley’s parents, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson, have both pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from allegations they neglected to give their 6-year-old child, Oakley’s sister, a prescribed medication. Neither yet face charges related to Oakley, though both remain suspects in the disappearance of the 5-year-old.
Prosecuting Attorney Jason Walker submitted a motion in Grays Harbor County Superior Court on Friday to inform the court that additional charges against Bowers and Carlson were coming, but details on the charges themselves have yet to be released.
“There was a lot of discovery that came into my office from the sheriff late last week,” said Walker during Bowers’ omnibus hearing on Jan. 31.
While Walker had intended to file the new charges ahead of that Jan. 31 hearing, he told the court he received last minute information that expanded the date range on the new charges, so they would need to be revised.
“I have an eyewitness now and that’s going to change things,” he said.
Since Bowers’ and Carlson’s attorneys did not have the opportunity to review the new information prior to their clients’ hearings on Jan. 31, Judge James Edwards scheduled new hearings on Feb. 7 for Bowers and Carlson to be arraigned on the new charges.
“Mr. Walker shared with me the new discovery,” said Carlson’s attorney, Jonathan Feste, during Carlson’s omnibus hearing on Jan. 31. “It’s important that I interact with my client about that matter. It’s very relevant,” he said.
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment on the new evidence given the active nature of the investigation. A joint trial for Bowers and Carlson has been scheduled for April 19, 2022.
Timeline of Oakley’s Disappearance and Her Biological Parents’ Court Case
• Nov. 2019: Oakley leaves the care of her foster parents and returns to her biological parents, according to King 5 News.
• Feb. 10, 2021: The last time detectives with the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office can confirm Oakley was seen alive.
• Nov. 6, 2021: A fire was reported at the Carlson’s residence in Oakville just before 5 p.m. Andrew Carlson told dispatchers his 4-year-old (Oakley’s age at the time) had lit the couch on fire with a cigarette lighter and said he had put the fire out himself. Investigators later determined the fire most likely started in the microwave on the kitchen counter — not from the couch, as Carlson had claimed.
• Nov. 30, 2021: The date Oakley’s parents claim they last saw Oakley.
• Dec. 5, 2021: Oakville Elementary School Principal Jessica Swift contacts the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office with concerns about Oakley’s safety.
• Dec. 6, 2021:
• Approximately 10 a.m.: An officer with the Tumwater Police Department initiates a welfare check for Oakley and interviews Oakley’s parents in their hotel room.
• 3:31 p.m.: An officer confirmed Bowers and Carlson left the hotel with their 2-year-old and returned to their Oakville residence.
• 5:10 p.m.: Bowers is booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail for allegedly obstructing an officer and on suspicion of manslaughter.
• 9:30 p.m.: Carlson is booked into the Grays Harbor County Jail on suspicion of manslaughter.
• Dec. 7, 2021: Oakley’s sister’s temporary foster parents ask law enforcement about a medication prescribed to the 6-year-old, and law enforcement learn Bowers and Carlson had not been giving the child the medication.
• Dec. 9, 2021: The 72-hour hold on suspicion of manslaughter expires, and that case is closed. Bowers and Carlson are charged with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person for allegedly neglecting to give their 6-year-old daughter prescribed medication for approximately 15 months.
• Dec. 13, 2021: Detectives complete their search of the Carlson family’s house and surrounding property.
• Dec. 30, 2021: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for the first time. Demonstrators gather outside the courthouse demanding answers about Oakley.
• Jan. 10, 2022: Bowers and Carlson both plead not guilty to second-degree abandonment of a dependent child. Trial dates are set for April 2022.
• Jan. 28, 2022: The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office submits new evidence to the Grays Harbor County Prosecutor’s Office.
• Jan. 29, 2022: Demonstrators hold a rally outside the Grays Harbor County Jail demanding answers about Oakley.
• Jan. 31, 2022: Bowers and Carlson appear in Grays Harbor County Superior Court for omnibus hearings. The judge schedules a hearing for Feb. 7 to add two new charges to both Bowers’ and Carlson’s cases based on the new evidence from the sheriff’s office.
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Reporter Emily Fitzgerald can be reached at emily@chronline.com.
