Case of missing Washington 5-year-old highlights secrecy around CPS cases

In her tidy dwelling on a cul-de-sac in Elma, Washington, Jamie Jo Hiles surrounds herself with photographs of Oakley Carlson, her dark-haired, brown-eyed former foster daughter.

It’s been two-and-a-half years since Oakley left Hiles’ dwelling and was reunited together with her organic dad and mom. And it’s been 15 months since Oakley was final seen alive.

The case of the lacking 5-year-old from Grays Harbor County has garnered worldwide media consideration and drawn scrutiny to her dad and mom who just lately pleaded responsible and had been sentenced for youngster endangerment involving their different kids.

However the case has additionally raised questions on Washington’s youngster protecting providers system and whether or not it functioned in addition to it ought to have on this case.

Oakley first got here to dwell with Hiles and her husband Erik in August 2017, when she was about 9 months outdated. For the Hiles, Oakley’s arrival of their lives was a dream come true. The couple had been making an attempt unsuccessfully to get pregnant when sooner or later Hiles, who teaches within the native colleges, received a textual content from a former pupil asking if she’d be keen to foster Oakley. The couple didn’t hesitate, particularly as a result of they had been beneath the impression they could in the end have the ability to undertake her.

“It wasn’t one thing we sought out, however it labored out,” Hiles mentioned.

Washington’s Division of Youngsters Youth and Households (DCYF) has a objective of limiting the time a toddler is in foster care and discovering a everlasting dwelling as shortly as is safely potential. However in Oakley’s case, months was a yr, was two years. Within the care of the Hiles, Oakley grew from an easy-going toddler into an brisk toddler.

Images and movies from this era depict holidays and memorable occasions: Halloween costumes, visits to the park and seashore, goofy mess around the home, snuggles on the sofa and messy toddler meals.

However in November 2019, almost 26 months after Oakley had come to dwell with them, the Hiles had been all of the sudden notified that she was being reunited together with her dad and mom. Weeks later, on the day after Thanksgiving, that reunification occurred. The Hiles had been devastated.

“We cried, after which we went upstairs and we shut the door to our bed room for months, in all probability six months. So, it was actually like a loss of life,” Hiles mentioned.

It’s not clear precisely what occurred subsequent. DCYF received’t touch upon Oakley’s case citing state and federal privateness legal guidelines. The company additionally denied a public data request by the Northwest Information Community for data. However usually, a toddler welfare case is closed inside six months of a kid being returned to their organic dad and mom — presuming the dad and mom are complying with the circumstances set by the courts. That six-month mark would have been reached round Could 2020.

The final confirmed sighting of Oakley was 9 months later, in February 2021. However Oakley wasn’t reported lacking till months later — in December 2021, after a hearth broken the household’s dwelling forcing them to briefly relocate. That’s when a neighborhood college principal grew to become involved after speaking with one in all Oakley’s siblings.

On December 6, Oakley’s fifth birthday, police had been despatched out to do a welfare test. Det. Sgt. Paul Logan of the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Workplace mentioned Oakley’s dad and mom had been uncooperative when requested about their daughter’s whereabouts.

“The responses to the pretty easy questions that had been requested had been met with hostility and solutions that did not make any sense,” Logan mentioned.

Oakley was declared lacking and the sheriff’s workplace sought a search warrant for the household’s sprawling rural property close to Oakville, Washington.

That search final December lasted a number of days and turned up proof, however not Oakley or her physique. Nonetheless, her dad and mom — Andrew Carlson, a former Aberdeen police officer, and Jordan Bowers — had been briefly held in jail on suspicion of manslaughter. Whereas formal prices had been by no means filed, the couple was later prosecuted for crimes associated to their remedy of their different kids.

This spring, each dad and mom had been sentenced after pleading responsible to youngster endangerment with a managed substance for exposing their youngsters to methamphetamine.

Logan, the sheriff’s investigator, mentioned the investigation into Oakley’s disappearance continues with the assistance of the FBI. At this level, he mentioned, the belief is she’s lifeless. Logan mentioned investigators proceed to work to assemble the proof they should current a case to prosecutors.

“On this case, everybody’s involved and everyone seems to be wanting on the state of affairs like that is improper,” Logan mentioned. “However on the identical time, there’s no regulation on the books for one thing simply being improper.”

Logan mentioned he has no data on how DCYF dealt with Oakley’s youngster welfare case. Nevertheless, Hiles is satisfied the company failed Oakley. She mentioned the reunification in late 2019 felt rushed. She additionally questioned whether or not DCYF — within the midst of the COVID pandemic — adequately monitored the household after reunification and whether or not the company adopted up when she reported extra considerations to caseworkers and Baby Protecting Providers about Oakley.

“DCYF and the state of Washington, they need to be sweating bullets as a result of I do know that after that data is public, I do know that individuals are going to seek out out that they’ve utterly dropped the ball,” Hiles mentioned.

Whereas DCYF received’t touch upon particular instances, one of many company’s strategic priorities is to scale back the variety of kids and youth in out-of-home care by half. When safely potential, the company prioritizes reuniting kids with their organic dad and mom. If that’s not achievable, then DCYF will search the termination of parental rights and establish one other everlasting placement, similar to with the next-of-kin or an adoptive household. The ultimate resolution on a placement rests with a choose who depends upon the knowledge offered by youngster welfare caseworkers.

In an interview on TVW’s “Inside Olympia” program final June, DCYF Secretary Ross Hunter famous that his company was attaining its objective of decreasing the variety of youth in out-of-home placements.

“Massive win,” Hunter mentioned. “Even throughout this pandemic, we’ve been in a position to proceed driving down the variety of youngsters in care and doing it safely. I’m enthusiastic about that.”

Complaints about DCYF are investigated by the Washington State Workplace of the Household and Youngsters’s Ombuds. In an interview, Director Patrick Dowd mentioned he is conscious of the Oakley Carlson case, however could not affirm if his workplace is investigating the way it was dealt with. Dowd defined that youngster welfare instances create a stress between the general public’s need for data and the household’s privateness.

“On one hand, you do need public confidence and belief in our state youngster welfare system,” Dowd mentioned. “However we additionally need to have the ability to shield the households and the kids that they serve.”

The Oakley Carlson case has led to neighborhood calls, and even a petition, for extra oversight of households following reunification. State Rep. Tana Senn, a Democrat who chairs the Youngsters Youth and Households Committee within the Washington Home and serves on a DCYF oversight board, mentioned she’s adopted the case intently and talked with neighborhood members. However Senn is not satisfied state regulation must be modified in response to what occurred to Oakley. As an alternative, she expects if and when Oakley is formally declared lifeless there will probably be a proper youngster fatality evaluation.

“I’ve little doubt that there will probably be an investigation to take a look at the case and see if errors had been made, if processes want to vary, if this was only a actually unlucky state of affairs,” Senn mentioned.

Senn added that it’s her understanding Oakley was reunited together with her dad and mom after they efficiently accomplished a drug remedy program. The Northwest Information Community couldn’t independently confirm that report. Senn additionally famous the state finances this yr funded extra assets for Grays Harbor County to assist households with younger kids, particularly these coping with substance use issues.

In the meantime, Hiles has written to Gov. Jay Inslee asking him to order a evaluation into the state’s dealing with of Oakley’s case. Inslee’s workplace declined to remark, citing state and federal privateness legal guidelines and the continuing police investigation. Pressed on the matter, and particularly, the query of accountability, a spokesperson for Inslee, Mike Faulk, responded through electronic mail: “High-quality morning to solid aspersions.”

The Oakley Carlson case is just not the primary to boost questions concerning the state’s household reunification protocols. In 2010, following a case during which a foster household cared for a woman for 4 years earlier than she was returned to her beginning dad and mom, then-Gov. Chris Gregoire “ordered a full exterior evaluation of the kid welfare system because it pertains to this case,” in accordance with reporting by KING 5 Information.

Hiles mentioned she’s involved DCYF has turn into so centered on the reunification of households that the company has overlooked its core mission. She added that she hopes one thing good can come out of Oakley’s case.

“I feel that she will actually avoid wasting youngsters’ lives,” Hiles mentioned. “Hopefully DCYF can reform and actually concentrate on what they’re meant to do and that is, you already know, defending kids.”

Hiles additionally needs whoever’s chargeable for Oakley’s disappearance to be held accountable.

To at the present time, framed photographs of Oakley adorn Hiles’ dwelling. They function reminders of the little lady with an enormous smile who she and her husband grew to like, and the 2 glad years she lived with them.