The search for Oakley Carlson: Missing 5-yr-old's mom Jordan Bowers arrested for fraud and identity theft
MONTESANO, WASHINGTON: The mother of missing 5-year-old Oakley Carlson, who refused to assist authorities in their investigation, was arrested for identity theft recently. Jordan Bowers was reportedly jailed for 43 months on Monday in Montesano, Washington.
Authorities are having trouble finding the young girl, who was last seen in February 2021, as the sentence is being handed down. Her absence was not reported until December 2021, when her house burned down, with Bowers allegedly telling her other daughter that Oakley had been "eaten by wolves."
The search for Oakley Carlson
When Oakley vanished in 2021, she was only five years old. She hasn't been seen since February 2021, and according to cops, the child's parents haven't been cooperative, according to Komo News.
Her parents Jordan Bowers and Andrew Carlson have been named as the main suspects in her disappearance, though neither of them was charged. Recently, Okaley's mother was sentenced to 43 months in prison for identity theft and fraud.
Court documents that came out during her most recent trial outline a disturbing pattern of alleged abuse against Oakley. The documents cite a report that says Oakley was kept in a locked "cell" underneath the stairs of their home before her disappearance.
The child's sister told investigators that Oakley was beaten and that "there is no Oakley", as cited by Yahoo. In the past, detectives have said Oakley’s parents have not cooperated with investigators. Meanwhile, Oakley remains missing.
Jordan Bowers arrested
Bowers received a 43-month jail term after pleading guilty to four counts of identity theft. She had first pled not guilty, but on July 24, she agreed to a plea bargain.
According to authorities, the mother opened four credit card accounts after collecting the personal information of friends and family members, according to NBC King5.
She then used the credit cards to charge more than $40,000 at Walmart, on eBay, and even to withdraw cash to gamble at a casino. When officials searched her hotel room for her missing daughter, they discovered three of the bogus credit cards clogging a toilet.
What did the judge say?
Bowers had agreed to a 36-month sentence as part of a plea agreement but Judge Katherine Svoboda exercised her discretion and imposed the maximum sentence allowed by the law -- 43 months, followed by 12 months of community custody.
According to Fox13, the parent refused to agree to provide the victims $26,850.58 in reparations, and a subsequent hearing will be conducted to discuss the issue. "I just don't buy this that Ms Bowers maintains that she was helping these people. You can't have it both ways, that she was so drug addicted and so were the victims that their credibility is questionable but yet, she's the person that they would turn to for help. It just doesn't make any sense," Judge Svoboda stated.
"She targeted vulnerable victims. She took advantage. She really has not in any meaningful way taken responsibility, so it merits a sentence at the top of the standard range. It's all the court can do. 43 months followed by community custody of 12 months," the judge added.
Bowers was arrested for identity theft just minutes after being freed from prison for endangering the welfare of her other children with meth, a crime for which her husband was also convicted.