GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY, Wash. — Gray's Harbor County Sheriff's Deputies continued searching Friday for missing 5-year-old Oakley Carlson.
Investigators are asking anyone who saw Oakley after Jan. 27, 2021, to come forward as they work to narrow down the date she went missing. Detectives have not found evidence that she was seen alive since that date.
The Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office is currently searching for the girl in the area surrounding the family's property, which covers approximately 300 acres of land, according to Undersheriff Brad Johansson.
Johansson said the ground search of the property has been "extensive," and the sheriff's office has also brought in divers and aircraft.
"We're still there today because it's such a massive area," Johansson said. "We just want to make sure we've covered every inch that we can."
Undersheriff Johansson says the office has received some tips, but not as many as it expected to get, considering the amount of time since she was last seen and the amount of attention this case has received.
"So anyone who has seen her, we really want to talk to you and let us know what you saw and the last time you saw her alive," Johansson said.
Meanwhile, Oakley's parents -- Andrew Carlson and Jordan Bowers -- faced a district court judge Thursday, facing charges of abandonment for allegedly withholding medicine from one of Oakley's siblings. Their preliminary hearing will be held Dec. 30 at 11 a.m.
Meanwhile, the Oakville School District is hoping Oakley will be found alive and praising the principal of a local elementary school who called attention to the girl's disappearance.
Court documents show the principal alerted authorities she was concerned for Oakley's wellbeing after speaking with a sibling, who told her "Oakley is no more."
"We followed protocols we would do in any case like this," said Oakville School District Superintendent Rich Staley. "The staff member who identified this made the proper reports at the proper time and got the right people involved and now we're looking into something that hopefully has a good resolution."
Staley says Oakville is a tight-knit community, and that everyone has been pulling together for Oakley.
"The great thing about Oakville is their resilience," Staley said. "When they see something challenging or hard they rally together as a community and work together... It's a family atmosphere here, the community really comes together, and that's what I see out of this. This is a hard time for everybody, it's hard to think about this for a little person and I see the community coming together and rallying."
Anyone with information about Oakley's disappearance is asked to contact the Grays Harbor County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 360-533-8765 or contact Detective Sgt. Paul Logan at 360-964-1729 or by email at sodetectives@co.grays-harbor.wa.us.