Missing Person Photos

A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, death in a location where they cannot be found (such as at sea), or many other reasons. In most parts of the world, a missing person will usually be found quickly. While criminal abductions are some of the most widely reported missing person cases, these account for only 2 to 5 percent of missing children in Europe. By contrast, some missing person cases remain unresolved for many years. Laws related to these cases are often complex since, in many jurisdictions, relatives and third parties may not deal with a person's assets until their death is considered proven by law and a formal death certificate issued. The situation, uncertainties, and lack of closure or a funeral resulting when a person goes missing may be extremely painful with long-lasting effects on family and friends. A number of organizations seek to connect, share best practices, and disseminate information and images of missing children to improve the effectiveness of missing children investigations, including the International Commission on Missing Persons, the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), as well as national organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US, Missing People in the UK, Child Focus in Belgium, and The Smile of the Child in Greece.

Resources for Missing Persons

According to current statistics, 4,000 people in the United States go missing every day. Sometimes a child suddenly vanishes from the bus stop or the local park or even from their own yard or bedroom. Or a teenager doesn�t return home after a walk to the neighborhood grocery store or a bike ride or a party with friends. Other times, an adult is mysteriously absent from their job or neighbors haven�t seen them for several days, and family and friends haven�t heard from them either.

Missing Person Photos

Oakley Lynn Carlson
Oakley, date, approximate 2021; Andrew Carlson; Jordan Bowers; silver 2012 Chevrolet Suburban LT
Date Missing 02/10/2021
Missing From
Oakville, Washington
Missing Classification Endangered Missing
Sex Female
Race
White
Date of Birth 12/06/2016 (5)
Age 4 years old
Height and Weight 3'0, 50 pounds
Associated Vehicle(s) Silver 2012 Chevrolet Suburban LT with the license plate numbered BTX3380
Markings and/or Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.
Details of Disappearance The last confirmed sighting of Oakley was in Oakville, Washington on February 10, 2021. At the time of her disappearance, she lived with her parents, Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers, and siblings. Her parents did not report her missing. A local school principal, Jessica Swift, whose daughter is friends with Oakley's sister, was the one who reported her disappearance. There was a fire at the Carlson family's residence in November 2021, which damaged their home. Curiously, Andrew and Jordan did not call the fire department for assistance; they said they weren't able to find their phones.
After the fire, on November 10, Swift came over to offer assistance and stayed for about 45 minutes. She noticed Oakley wasn't there, which she found odd. She asked Andrew and Jordan about it and was told that Oakley was being punished and had been confined to her room. Two weeks later, Swift visited again to drop off some supplies, staying for about five minutes. She didn't see Oakley this time either.
On December 4, Oakley's sister came to Swift's house for a sleepover with Swift's child. Swift asked her questions about Oakley and her sister became upset and said, "Oakley is no more." Swift asked her again where Oakley was, and her sister said Oakley had gone to live with her previous foster parents.
The next day, Swift contacted the police and asked them to do a welfare check on Oakley. The police went to the Tumwater, Washington hotel Oakley's family was staying at in the aftermath of the fire, and she wasn't there.
Andrew said she was with his parents, but couldn't provide any contact information for them. The police later reached out to Andrew's father, who said he hadn't seen Oakley since Christmas. When investigators told Andrew that Oakley was not with his parents, Andrew didn't appear to be surprised. Jordan was uncooperative and refused to answer questions.
When the police went over to Oakley's home in Oakville, they found no sign of the girl or any evidence that she'd been living there recently. All the other children had bedrooms, but there was no bedroom for Oakley, and none of her clothes or toys were at the home either.
When interviewed, Oakley's siblings said they'd been instructed by their mother not to talk about her, and her sister said Jordan told her Oakley had gone into the woods and been eaten by wolves. The child's younger brother remembered Jordan beating Oakley with a belt and confining her to a closet, and said he had been worried that his sister would starve. He mentioned the fire and said when it happened, everyone got out of the house okay except Oakley.
Photos of Jordan and Andrew and of their car, a silver 2012 Chevrolet Suburban LT with the license plate numbered BTX3380, are posted with this summary. After Oakley's disappearance was discovered, they were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, but ultimately not charged. Instead they were charged with second-degree abandonment of a dependent person.
The dependent person in this was not Oakley, but her six-year-old sister. The charge was because Jordan and Andrew had allegedly failed to give their six-year-old daughter her prescription medication for over a year. She was prescribed the medicine for a serious medical condition that can cause physical impairment and eventual death if left untreated.
Jordan and Andrew were later also charged with two counts of child endangerment with a controlled substance, for exposing their children to methamphetamine. Both of Oakley's siblings had "extremely high" levels of methamphetamine in their bodies, meaning they were either exposed to the drug or they ingested it.
In March 2022, Andrew pleaded guilty to the charges against him. He has no prior criminal history. He was sentenced to twelve months in prison and will be eligible for release in August 2022. Jordan pleaded guilty to the same charges in April. She has an extensive criminal record and will probably get a more severe sentence than her husband.
Jordan and Andrew have not been cooperative with the investigation into their daughter's disappearance. They said they'd last seen their daughter on November 30, 2021, but wouldn't say what had happened to her or where she was.
Oakley had been raised by a foster family from the age of seven months, as her parents both had substance abuse problems. She was returned to her biological parents in 2019, a week before her third birthday. Her former foster parents have been active in the search for her and said they had previously raised concerns about her safety in her parents' care.
An extensive search of the 300-acre property where Oakley lived with her family showed no indication of her whereabouts, but police did find blood on the front door on the home and blood on the blinds.
Police believe it is likely the child is dead, but the investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been filed against anyone in Oakley's disappearance.
Investigating Agency
Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office
360-533-8765
Other
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Fox 13 Seattle
Fox News
KOMO News
Facebook Page for Oakley Carlson
Washington State Missing Persons Information Search
News Nation Now
Fox 13 Seattle
Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office
KING 5