Athena Brownfield.Photo: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Oklahoma authorities have recovered a child’s remains in rural Grady County during the search for missing 4-year-old Athena Brownfield.
Athena was determined to be missing after a postal worker found her 5-year-old sister roaming outside of her Cyril, Oklahoma, home on Jan. 10.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said on Facebook the agency hasfound remains outside of Rush Springs, but they cannot confirm they are those of Athena.
The remains were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Oklahoma City for positive identification, according to the OSBI.
Rush Springs is about 22 miles southeast of Cyril, Oklahoma.
Athena’s caregivers were arrested on Thursday. Alysia Adams, 31, faces two counts of child neglect while her husband Ivon Adams, 36, faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of child neglect. He is awaiting extradition to Oklahoma in a jail in Arizona, where he was arrested.
According to court documents,Alysia confessed to authoritiesthat she knew Athena was dead, Oklahoma’s KFOR reported.
Alysia told authorities about the beating, according to an arrest affidavit for Ivon, per the AP. She said Athena “was not moving and her eyes were barely open,” adding that Ivon “then laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest” and the child “never moved after that.”
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The arrest affidavit does not reveal why Ivon beat the child, according to the AP.
Ivon left the home with Athena at around 1 a.m. on Dec. 26 and returned, telling Alysia he buried the child on land they once owned near Rush Springs, marking the site with a large branch, the news outlet reported.
Ivon (left) and Alysia Adams.Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
Ivon told a judge during a hearing in Maricopa County on Friday that he needed to “fight this,” according to the AP.
“I want to get there and take care of it,” he said.
The affidavit said the children’s biological mother left them with the couple, per the AP, adding that the girls called Alysia “mom” or “Aly” and Ivon “dad” or “Uncle Ivon.”
The two girls have been in the care of the Adamses for at least a year.
According to the affidavit,the two girls were never taken to the doctor for check-upsand the older girl was never enrolled in school, KFOR reported.
It’s unclear if the Adamses have an attorney who can comment on their behalf.
source: people.com
