Girl, 5, Whose Mom Allegedly Told Her Sister She Had Been 'Eaten By Wolves' Is Declared Legally Dead Four Years After Vanishing By Samira Asma-Sadeque

A Washington state girl who was last seen five years ago has been declared legally dead as the investigation into her disappearance continues.

Oakley Carlson was 5-years-old when she was reported missing in December 2021, PEOPLE previously reported, citing authorities.

The Oakville, Wash. girl was declared legally deceased in Pacific County Superior Court, following a petition filed by legal representatives of Oakley’s remaining siblings in this summer, The Olympian reported, citing court records.

Oakley was last seen alive in February 2021 by someone other than her parents, the Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office previously said. Her father Andrew Carlson and mother Jordan Bowers were immediately identified as persons of interest by the sheriff’s office and taken into custody.

Deputies alleged the child’s parents did not know her whereabouts and were unable to provide any information or explanation for where she might be, KOMO News reported at the time.

Oakley had lived with a foster parent for an unspecified amount of time before being reunited with her biological parents in 2019, KING 5 and KOMO News have reported.

Oakley’s school principal reported her missing after overhearing a conversation between her own child and Oakley’s sister, who said “Oakley is no more” and “there is no Oakley,” per court documents cited by KCPQ.

The girl allegedly told detectives that her mother had forbid her from talking about Oakley and that Oakley “had gone out into the woods and had been eaten by wolves,” per court documents.

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In 2023, court documents revealed that Oakley had allegedly suffered from abuse from her parents.

In filings reviewed by PEOPLE, investigators allege one of Oakley’s two siblings claimed the child had been kept in a locked “cell” underneath the stairs. Another sibling accused their mother of physical abuse.

Oakley’s parents were initially charged with obstruction and second-degree abandonment in an unrelated case, but those charges were dropped.

They were convicted in 2022 of child endangerment with a controlled substance in a case unrelated to Oakley’s disappearance, KATU reported at the time.

Following her release in January 2023, Bowers was arrested on identity theft charges in a separate case, according to KATU, and sentenced to 43 months in prison.

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Bowers was released from prison last month, KOMO News reported.

The Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Office said in an updated statement that both Bowers and Carlson remain persons of interest in Oakley’s disappearance, adding that they are working with prosecutors for a potential homicide case.