Oakley Carlson, a girl who went missing from Grays Harbor County four years ago and hasn’t been seen since, was declared legally dead this summer by a judge.
Oakley, who would be 8 years old now, was last seen by someone other than her biological parents in February 2021. Months later, in December, a concerned citizen called for a welfare check.
The Grays Harbor County sheriff’s office has presumed Oakley is deceased, and authorities say evidence points to her biological parents’ involvement — but without a body, the case has been difficult to close.
The sheriff’s office has said her biological parents, Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers, gave “conflicting and ultimately false statements” about Oakley’s whereabouts and remain suspects in the case. Both parents were later convicted of endangerment with a controlled substance concerning other children, and Bowers was released from prison weeks ago after also serving time for identity theft.
Oakley’s foster mother, Jamie Jo Hiles, had the girl in her care from the time she was seven months old until right before her third birthday, when she was returned to her biological parents.
Hiles expressed frustration about Oakley being declared legally dead and said she was notified by sheriff’s detectives.
“This was done quietly, without transparency or communication,” Hiles posted on Facebook on Monday. “I am Oakley’s mom. I loved her, cared for her, and have been fighting for her memory.”
A Pacific County Superior Court judge signed the order declaring Oakley dead in July, and Hiles said she was only notified a few weeks ago by detectives. The petition to declare Oakley dead was filed by attorneys representing a guardian ad litem, Bruce Wolf, for Oakley’s siblings. Wolf has previously represented estates of children whose families are suing the state.
In a statement, Wolf’s attorney, Evan Bariault, said the petition to declare Oakley dead will allow them to get information, including sealed records like medical information, “to investigate and assess the physical abuse, neglect and emotional abuse experienced by Oakley and her siblings while under the care and custody of the State of Washington.”
The Washington State Office of the Family and Children’s Ombuds said in 2022, after multiple requests from community members to release information about Oakley’s case, that it could not publicly discuss the Department of Children, Youth and Families’ handling of the case until Oakley was declared dead.
The legal declaration also opens the avenue for a lawsuit against the state.
“As counsel for Oakley and her surviving siblings, we made the difficult decision to have Oakley declared deceased given the evidence we have reviewed thus far and the passage of time since she was reported missing,” the statement said. “We made this decision in consultation and with the support of Oakley’s biological family.”
Bariault also noted that lawyers contacted Hiles months ago to notify her they would be pursuing a death declaration.
“I want her siblings to be taken care of,” Hiles said in an interview. “But my outlook on this has always been, well, I want change within DCYF. I just don’t want a settlement. I want change.
” … Future foster children should never be at risk of being returned home too quickly or not being removed from a dangerous situation. That has been my whole mindset.”
Sheriff Darrin Wallace said he plans to speak with the prosecutor’s office about how the death declaration may affect the case. He declined to disclose further information as the investigation is ongoing.
Wallace confirmed that detectives are considering a no body homicide prosecution, if it is an option in the case.
“We continue to work diligently on this case to bring justice to Oakley and her family,” Wallace wrote.
DCYF has been criticized in the past for its handling of Child Protective Services investigations and reductions in foster care placement, which some, including Hiles, view as a practice of leaving children in the hands of unfit parents. The Washington State Legislature codified that approach in 2021, when it passed a law heightening the standard of removal for a child.
December would mark Oakley’s ninth birthday. Anyone with information about her disappearance is asked to contact the Grays Harbor County sheriff’s office at 360-964-1770.
