The former adoptive parents of Oakley Carlson, a 6-year-old girl who disappeared in Washington, said they repeatedly warned state authorities they were unsure whether to allow her to return home with her parents biological.
Jamie Jo Hiles told Fox News Digital that she and her husband cared for Oakley for more than two years before the Washington Department of Children, Youth and Families released the child to his biological parents, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson.
Hiles reportedly told social services it could cause “irrevocable harm” by sending Oakley back to his parents, who allegedly exposed their children to methamphetamine and violence.
“There were red flags even before Oakley went home (to her birth parents),” Hiles said. “Oakley came home from a visit once and told me she had seen violence. I told the social worker that, and the social worker always said to me, ‘Oh, I’m not worried about that.”
In October 2019, Oakley was back home with her birth parents.
“It was a rushed decision,” Hines added.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, the birth family’s neighbors previously said they hadn’t seen Oakley “in a while.” A person from the Oakville neighborhood said it had been so long since Oakley had been seen that the school bus finally stopped picking her up.
Oakley was reported missing after deputies arrived at her family’s home on Dec. 6, 2021, to conduct a wellness check, at the request of Oakville Elementary School Principal Jessica Swift.
Swift said the first time she noticed anything strange was when she delivered supplies to parents in Oakley in December 2021, following a fire that destroyed much of it. of their property.
“Jordan had let us know there was a fire, so I had come out to check on them, offer support and drop off school supplies right after the fire,” Swift told News Nation.
“I saw all the other kids running around and playing and I didn’t see Oakley and I thought that was a bit strange. I asked where she was and they said she was in his room in dead time.
Two weeks later, Swift returned home and again didn’t see Oakley. Later, Oakley’s 6-year-old sister went to Swift’s home for a date with Swift’s daughter, and that’s when Swift learned that Oakley hadn’t haven’t been seen in a while.
“While on a date with my daughter and Oakley’s sister, I asked about Oakley,” Swift told News Nation. “And it came out during those questions that Oakley no longer lives with them. I can’t describe the feeling I had at that moment, sitting on that couch with that little girl when she said that. .
Swift said she immediately contacted Grays Harbor Police and made a report. When police searched the house, they saw no sign of Oakley having ever been there. The birth parents both denied knowing what happened to Oakley.
Hiles provided Fox Digital News with a number of emails to social services expressing concern about Oakley returning to his parents. The emails described why they were concerned for Oakley’s safety and how they wanted to continue to care for her.
“I had a lot of bitterness towards him because it was hard for me to understand why they couldn’t realize that Oakley was better off with this,” she said. “Unfortunately, with foster care, as soon as you start to pull yourself together, you’re fine with getting your kids back.”
Hines claimed that the biological parents not only fed Oakley junk food, but were also violent towards each other and failed to report their house fire to the police.
“The upstairs caught fire and the parents ‘couldn’t find their phone’ to call 911, so instead they fought the fires themselves (for hours according to the GoFundMe) and didn’t then not report the fire for two weeks,” Hines wrote. in an email to DCYF on November 18, 2021.
“Although I am not an investigator, I find this strange and very dangerous.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Carlson recently pleaded guilty to child endangerment involving Oakley’s 6-year-old sister after failing to provide her with required prescription medication.
Carlson could be released from prison in August, but he also has a chemical dependency hearing scheduled for September 12. Upon his release, he cannot have any contact with children under the age of 18, except his own.
Police arrested Bowers and Carlson in December 2021 and initially charged them with manslaughter, in connection with Oakley’s disappearance. Those charges were dropped, citing a lack of evidence, but they were both charged with negligence in relation to Oakley’s sister.
Investigators interviewed the 6-year-old, who said her mother told her not to talk about Oakley. She finally admitted that she hadn’t seen her sister for a long time. she began to cry when a detective asked her if Oakley was injured.
“Her mother Jordan told her not to talk about Oakley and that she was out to be eaten by wolves,” read a police report.
When police questioned Bowers about Oakley’s disappearance, she reportedly became furious and refused to answer questions.
“She became furious, screaming, clenching her fists and refusing to answer any further questions about her daughter’s welfare or welfare,” the report said.
Investigators would like to speak to anyone who has seen or spoken to Oakley since January 2021, as well as anyone who had direct contact with his parents during the same time period.
Anyone with information about Oakley should call the sheriff’s office at (360) 533-8765. You can also contact Detective Sergeant. Paul Logan at (360) 964-1729 or email sodetectives@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.
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[Feature Photo: Oakley Carlson/Handout]
