Andrew Carlson, Jordan Bowers Arrested in Disappearance of Five-Year-Old Daughter Oakley

A mother and father in Washington state have been arrested on suspicion of the manslaughter of their five-year-old daughter.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office launched an investigation into the "suspicious" disappearance of Oakley Carlson in Oakville earlier this week.

The authorities said they were asked to check on the welfare of the child by a concerned citizen. When officers arrived at the home of Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson, the pair couldn't explain where their daughter was, KOMO reported.

Bowers and Carlson were initially considered persons of interest by deputies, and they have since been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office said they aren't sure when Oakley was last seen alive and that they are still conducting searches for the girl at the family's 300-acre property.

"We're really concerned for her safety and wellbeing, and we just really don't know what that is at this point," Grays Harbor County Undersheriff Brad Johansson told KOMO.

As reported by Fox 13 Seattle, the suspects' home was also the scene of a fire in mid-November. A GoFundMe account was set up by a friend of the couple who said Bowers and Carlson didn't call 911 at the time because they couldn't find their phones.

Jamie Jo Hiles and Erik Hiles were Oakley's foster parents from when she was seven months old until a week before her third birthday. The courts allowed Oakley to be given back to her biological parents in 2019.

Speaking to Fox 13 Seattle, Jamie Jo Hiles said she had tried to contact Washington's Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) to say the child might be in danger if she went back to her parents, who are alleged to be drug users.

"We told them several times this wasn't a safe decision," she said. "We begged them – 'please don't let her go back, please don't let her go back.'"

Decision on Charges

Jamie Jo Hiles said she contacted the DCYF again in January 2021, as well as just before Thanksgiving this year after seeing the GoFundMe account, which has since been taken down.

"If no one has seen her, what could have happened to her? Was it the fire? Was it something else," she said.

"I am so disappointed. What a failure of the state of Washington. What a failure for those kids."

Bowers and Carlson are being held in custody until Friday, by which point a decision on whether to bring forward charges will be made.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office asked anyone who may know the whereabouts of Oakley Carlson to call 911.

Deputies are also asking if anyone has seen Oakley in the past year or has information on her welfare to contact the Sheriff's Office dispatch non-emergency number on 360-533-8765.

The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office and the DCYF have been contacted for comment.