A Washington state girl who was last seen five years ago has been declared legally dead, although the inquiry into her disappearance continues.
Oakley Carlson, 5, was reported missing in December 2021, according to PEOPLE, citing authorities.
The Oakville, Wash., youngster was proclaimed legally deceased in Pacific County Superior Court this summer, following a petition filed by legal counsel of Oakley’s remaining siblings, according to The Olympian.
Oakley was last seen alive in February 2021, but not by her parents, according to the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office instantly recognized and arrested her father, Andrew Carlson, and mother, Jordan Bowers.
According to KOMO News, deputies claimed the child’s parents had no idea where she was and were unable to provide any information or explanation.
According to KING 5 and KOMO News, Oakley stayed with a foster parent for an undefined period of time before being reunited with her birth parents in 2019.
Oakley’s school principal reported her missing after overhearing a conversation between her own child and Oakley’s sister, who stated “Oakley is no more” and “there is no Oakley,” according to court documents quoted by KCPQ.
According to court records, the girl allegedly told officers that her mother had forbidden her from discussing Oakley and that Oakley “had gone out into the woods and had been eaten by wolves.”
Court filings from 2023 indicated that Oakley was reportedly abused by her parents.
According to court documents acquired by PEOPLE, one of Oakley’s two siblings claimed the youngster was kept in a locked “cell” beneath the stairs. Another sibling accused the mother of physical abuse.
Oakley’s parents were initially charged with obstruction and second-degree abandonment in a separate case, but the charges were withdrawn.
They were found guilty in 2022 of child endangerment with a controlled narcotic in a case unconnected to Oakley’s abduction, according to KATU.
Following her release in January 2023, Bowers was caught on identity theft charges in a second case, according to KATU, and sentenced to 43 months in prison.
KOMO News reports that Bowers was released from prison last month.
According to an updated statement from the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office, Bowers and Carlson remain persons of interest in Oakley’s disappearance, and they are working with prosecutors on a potential homicide case.
