MONTESANO, Wash. — Dozens of people rallied outside the courthouse in Grays Harbor County on Thursday, chanting the name of missing 5-year-old girl Oakley Carlson as her parents faced a judge inside.
Oakley hasn’t been seen since February and her parents are not cooperating with investigators. On Thursday, they faced charges of abandonment for one of Oakley’s siblings.
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Oakley’s former foster parents, Erik and Jamie Jo Hiles, were among the crowd who watched the hearing for Oakley’s biological parents — Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers — on their cell phone.
“It’s important also that Andrew and Jordan know that a lot of people are upset, and they should be nervous about this,” Jamie Jo Hiles said.
Oakley hasn’t been seen in 10 months. The people rallying for the missing child had a simple demand for her parents: start talking.
But during the hearing on Thursday, Carlson and Bowers declined to speak.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Svoboda found probable cause in felony abandonment charges related to one of Oakley’s siblings. No charges have been filed in relation to Oakley’s disappearance since neither she nor any remains have been found.
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“There is hope, it’s just pretty slim,” Erik Hiles said.
Bail was set at $150,000 each after Grays Harbor County Prosecuting Attorney Jason Walker argued that if released, Oakley’s parents would tamper with evidence in the investigation into Oakley’s whereabouts, as he said has already happened.
“Ten minutes after police initially contacted them in Tumwater, one of these defendants performed a factory reset on their cell phone,” said Walker.
Walker said that the cell phone data can still be recovered.
After the hearing, Oakley’s parents were taken back to their jail cells. The crowd followed, demanding answers and accountability as to what happened to Oakley.
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