Oakley Carlson, a missing Oakville girl last seen in February 2021, was quietly declared legally dead by Pacific County Superior Court in August 2025, according to court records.
The probate case was filed August 12, naming Oakley as deceased. No official press release announced the ruling, and the court has not released additional details regarding the declaration or filing reasons.
Oakley was 4 years old when she disappeared. Despite extensive investigation, no remains have been found, and no one has been charged in connection with her disappearance.
Law enforcement continues classifying the case as an open and active investigation. Officials have repeatedly stated that Oakley’s parents, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson, remain persons of interest.
The case drew significant public attention after Oakley, previously in foster care, was returned to her biological parents in 2019. Concerns about her welfare arose in late 2021 when she was reported missing, nearly a year after her last sighting.
Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office investigators said both Bowers and Carlson provided conflicting and false information about their daughter’s whereabouts. Both parents were convicted of child abuse in an unrelated case, but no charges related to Oakley’s disappearance have been filed.
In 2023, Rep. Jim Walsh of the 19th District proposed House Bill 1397, the Oakley Carlson Act, aimed at maintaining safety for children removed from parents due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The legislation would have tightened requirements for returning foster children to biological parents. The bill stalled in committee in February 2023 but was reintroduced in January 2024.
Bowers was released from Washington Corrections Center for Women in September 2025 after serving a one-year sentence for unrelated identity theft and theft charges. She remains under one-year community supervision.
Oakley would have been 8 years old this year. A $100,000 reward was previously offered for information leading to her recovery or case resolution.
The legal declaration of death, while providing formal closure, does not conclude the criminal investigation into Oakley’s disappearance. Law enforcement continues seeking information about what happened to the child.
