Oakley Carlson’s foster mom says she raised red flags about biological parents years before girl went missing

The previous foster mother and father of lacking Washington 6-year-old Oakley Carlson mentioned they reached out to state authorities a half-dozen occasions to lift issues concerning the lady’s organic mother and father earlier than police found she’d vanished late final yr.

Jamie Jo Hiles, who took care of Oakley for greater than two years, instructed Fox Information Digital that she warned Washington Division of Kids, Youth and Households officers in 2019 that they have been “imposing irrevocable injury” to the lady by speeding to return her to the custody of her organic mother and father, who’ve been accused of exposing their different youngsters to methamphetamine.

“There have been purple flags earlier than Oakley even returned dwelling (to her organic mother and father),” Hiles mentioned. “Oakley got here dwelling from a go to one time and instructed me she noticed violence. I expressed that to the social employee, and the social employee nonetheless was like, ‘Oh, I’m not apprehensive about it.” 

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She mentioned she was instructed in October 2019 that the organic mother and father, Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers, could be regaining custody.

“It was a really rushed determination,” she mentioned.

Hiles supplied a collection of purported emails wherein she and her husband, Erik Hiles, raised issues over Oakley’s circumstances with state youngster welfare officers – who she accused of ignoring her warnings earlier than Oakley was returned to her mother and father’ custody.

“I’m writing to you to doc that if one thing is to occur to these youngsters, and I’ve tried a number of occasions to assist them, that CPS and DCYF are at fault and won’t solely be in large authorized bother, however the public relations fallout of not PROTECTING these youngsters will probably be huge,” she wrote on Nov. 18, 2021.

Oakley has been unaccounted for since February 2021.

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“She was the most effective child ever,” Hiles mentioned. “She would strive any meals, she was completely happy, cherished to learn, or be learn to. Not unusual to seek out her in mattress with a number of books at bedtime.”

The younger lady cherished Disney, swimming and to bop. She had no disciplinary issues at her foster mother and father’ dwelling, Hiles mentioned.

Hiles was Oakley’s foster mother from the time she was 7 months outdated till every week earlier than her third birthday, when her organic mother and father regained custody regardless of a collection of purple flags the foster mom mentioned she raised with state officers.

“I had a number of bitterness in the direction of it as a result of it was exhausting for me to know why they might not have simply realized that Oakley was finest off with this,” she mentioned. “Sadly with foster care, the minute you begin getting your act collectively, then you might be OK to get your youngsters again.” 

She claimed the mother and father fed Oakley solely junk meals, have been “violent” to 1 one other and as soon as didn’t report a home fireplace to authorities — selecting as an alternative to combat it themselves after which asking for cash on GoFundMe.

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“The upstairs caught fireplace and the mother and father ‘couldn’t discover their telephones’ to name 911, so as an alternative, they fought the fires themselves (for hours per the GoFundMe) after which didn’t report the hearth for 2 weeks,” she wrote in an e mail to 2 DCYF workers on Nov. 18, 2021. “Whereas I’m not an investigator, I discover this odd and really harmful.”

Deputies arrested Bowers and Carlson a month in a while youngster abandonment allegations after they decided Oakley was lacking. Then in February prosecutors tacked on prices of allegedly exposing their different youngsters to methamphetamine. Carlson pleaded responsible on the brand new prices final month. 

“Her mother was simply not a great particular person,” Hiles mentioned. “[Bowers and Carlson] have been manipulative. I feel they placed on a present for DCYF, a whole and whole present that they have been able to get their youngsters again.”

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In December, authorities instructed Fox Information Digital that Oakley’s younger siblings knowledgeable them the lady is “no extra” and had been “eaten by wolves” within the woods.

Oakley’s brother instructed legislation enforcement personnel that he noticed their mom “beat Oakley with a belt,” and that he “has been apprehensive about her ravenous,” in response to Grays Harbor Undersheriff Brad Johansson.

The younger boy additionally mentioned Bowers would “put Oakley within the closet, presumably below a stairwell,” Johansson mentioned.

Oakley Carlson is lacking, and her mother and father, Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson, have been charged with youngster abandonment and exposing their different youngsters to methamphetamine.
(Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Workplace)

The mother and father didn’t report their daughter lacking and haven’t cooperated with investigators, authorities mentioned. Additionally they allegedly failed to supply their daughter her prescribed remedy for over a yr.

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A spokesperson for the DCYF mentioned state legislation prevented the division from commenting on Hiles’ claims.

“We can’t communicate to particular circumstances attributable to privateness legal guidelines, even to the purpose of confirming a baby is now, or ever was, in foster care,” DCYF communications director Jason Wettstein mentioned Friday.

Hiles additionally mentioned she had reached out to Gov. Jay Inslee’s workplace to request an out of doors investigation into the DCYF’s dealing with of Oakley’s custody case, nevertheless the governor’s common counsel had no document of such a request.

“They should examine, as a result of one thing clearly could be very flawed with an company that doesn’t take heed to warnings about youngsters and youngster abuse,” Hiles mentioned. “That’s terrifying to me.”

She mentioned she additionally made two calls to youngster protecting companies after Oakley was out of her care however acquired no response.

“The final one was in November 2021, so a month earlier than she was found lacking,” she mentioned. “So why did no one exit and take that one critically?”

The Grays Harbor Sheriff’s workplace is asking anybody with data on Oakley’s whereabouts to name 360-533-8765 or 360-964-1729 or to e mail sodetectives@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.

“We haven’t given up,” Hiles mentioned. “We’ve been serious about [Oakley] since Nov, 29, 2019…we’d do something to guarantee that [she’s] again with us, and that’s not simply me, that’s my complete whole metropolis and neighborhood.”

Fox Information’ Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.