The grandparents of Oakley Carlson, a 5-year-old Oakville girl who has been missing for months, released a statement on their granddaughter’s disappearance, a law enforcement official said.
The statement, dated Tuesday, Dec. 14, expressed appreciation for the people working on the case but shed no new light on the youngster’s situation. She was last seen Feb. 10, 2021.
Grays Harbor Undersheriff Brad Johansson shared the letter via email on Wednesday, Dec. 15. The letter from the grandparents — who want to be referred to as Mr. and Mrs. Carlson — is as follows:
“The Carlson family have been and continue to be fully cooperating with the investigation,” the letter states. “Our only objective is to find our granddaughter Oakley. We’re praying that Oakley will be found soon and also for the multitudes of good people working around the clock to make that happen. We ask that the media respect our privacy during this very difficult time and we do not wish to make any further statements for now. Thank you.”
Johansson said in the email there were no further developments as of Wednesday morning.
“Detectives are still working hard to locate Oakley Carlson,” he said in the email.
Investigators searched the home of Oakley’s parents, Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers, on Saturday, Dec. 11. After an exhaustive search, which included assistance from the Washington State Department of Emergency Management in the form of search and rescue groups, search dogs, cadaver dogs and drones equipped with thermal imagers.
Johansson said investigators have been at the Carlson home in Oakville since Oakley’s parents were arrested Monday, Dec. 6.
They were arrested on probable cause for abandonment of a dependent person in the second degree, after it was found the couple’s other daughter, who is 6 years old, has allegedly been denied her medication for 15 months, according to a Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office news release on Thursday, Dec. 9. They are each being held at Grays Harbor County Jail on $150,000 bail.
The 6-year old girl is in protective custody, Johansson said.
While Oakley hasn’t been seen in months, Oakley’s confirmed sighting on Feb. 10, 2021 offers more hope that police will find her.
Police are not releasing information regarding who saw her in February, where they saw her, or if she was seen with someone.
Investigators want to speak with anyone who has seen Oakley since January 2021. They would also like to speak with anyone who has talked to her parents in the same period.
Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Oakley Carlson, please call 911. Anyone with information, please call the dispatch nonemergency number 360-533-8765, Detective Sgt. Paul Logan at 360-964-1729, or email sodetectives@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
