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The search for a missing 4-year-old girl in Oklahoma is now a “recovery operation” to find her remains after her two caregivers were arrested, authorities said.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed Monday that they are now trying to find the body of Athena Brownfield in Caddo County, where she went missing. Images shown
Police determined Athena was missing after a mail carrier found her 5-year-old older sister Adina wandering alone outside the couple’s home in Cyril, a small town 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, the January 10.
Ivon Adams, 36, and his ex-wife Alysia Adams, 31, had been caring for the sisters and the couple were arrested separately last week. Ivon Adams is facing one count of first degree murder and one count of child neglect and Alysia Adams is facing two counts of child neglect.
Police said Athena may have been missing on January 6, four days before she was reported missing on Tuesday, January 10.
Ivon Adams (left), who was jailed in Arizona in connection with the disappearance of a four-year-old girl, faces a murder charge. Authorities earlier said they arrested 31-year-old Alysia Adams (right) on two counts of child neglect; police say the couple is married.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation continues to search for Athena Brownfield. The four-year-old was reported missing on Jan. 10, but she may have been missing since at least Jan. 6, authorities say.
In a statement, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said: “Special Agents from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, along with our partners at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), have been searching areas of Oklahoma County. I have lost the remains of the child.”
The agency asked the public not to search for Athena’s remains, saying people could end up trespassing or contaminating potential evidence.
The sisters’ biological parents, who have not been identified, have been interviewed by authorities and are cooperating with the investigation, OSBI said. Athena’s sister was taken into protective custody.
Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she went missing.
Volunteers and various law enforcement agencies were involved in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground crew, and a review of surveillance video of Cyril’s surroundings.
The city of Cyril has also suspended garbage service while investigators search for leads.
The bureau said agents were following leads from Oklahoma and other states.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol was seen searching for Athena in a body of water near her home.
The boy disappeared from this home in Cyril, Oklahoma, a small town 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, on January 10.
On Thursday, Ivon Adams was arrested in Phoenix and is now awaiting extradition to Oklahoma. Alysia Adams, a relative of the sisters, was arrested in Oklahoma the same day.
Jail records do not list attorneys for either man who can comment on the allegations against them.
While authorities have revealed the couple are married, it appears the couple has since gone their separate ways, with Alysia seen spending a romantic weekend with her boyfriend just days after Athena went missing.
Athena is shown with her older sister Adina, who was found last Tuesday wandering outside the house the girls had been living in.
While authorities have said that Ivon and Alysia are married, the couple appear to have separated. It is not clear when this happened. They have four biological children of their own.
The postal worker who found Athena’s sister said he checked the house and no one seemed to be there.
Adina is said to have told the worker that she was hungry and could not find Athena, who is described as “very shy”.
Over the weekend of January 7 and 8, Alysia, who had conservatorship of the sisters, was seen enjoying a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with her new boyfriend, Blayden Davis. .
Athena’s grandmother, Penny Brownfield, said the family is trying to stay hopeful.
Over the weekend of January 7 and 8, Alysia, who had custody of the sisters with her husband Ivon, enjoyed a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with Davis.
Alysia calls herself a ‘beauty influencer’. She regularly uploads videos to TikTok, but the kids never show up.
Alysia regularly shares videos of herself rapping on TikTok, singing the N-word, and making prank videos about her life as a busy mom.
She has four children of her own who appear regularly on her Instagram account, but Athena and Adina never appear. It is unclear how the girls ended up in her care.
The boys’ paternal grandmother, Penny Brownfield, is in Cyril and has joined the search for her missing grandson.