After the 4-year-old girl vanished, a married couple who police claim was looking after her in Oklahoma was detained and accused, according to the authorities.
Athena Brownfield was originally reported missing by police after they launched a search for her young sister after they saw her unattended outside a house in the town of Cyril, which is roughly 55 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, earlier this week.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Alysia Adams, 31, was detained on Thursday in nearby Grady County and is accused of neglecting two children on two separate occasions.
Ivon Adams, 36, was detained on Thursday in Phoenix, Arizona, according to police in Oklahoma and Phoenix. According to a court record submitted in Maricopa County, an outstanding felony warrant had been issued from Oklahoma on allegations of first-degree murder and child maltreatment.
After a mailman reported a young child who was unattended and stumbling outside the Adamses’ home to police on Tuesday, authorities learned that Athena was gone, according to detectives. When authorities discovered the kid, who was revealed to be Athena’s 5-year-old sister, she was unharmed, according to law enforcement. But since then, Athena has not been found by authorities.
According to Oklahoma authorities, Athena was being looked after by the couple at the time of her disappearance. They say the investigation is ongoing and they are worried about her welfare.
Speaking on behalf of the state bureau of investigation, Brook Arbeitman said on Wednesday in afternoon, “You’re talking about a child who’s been on her own.”
Athena’s parents have been contacted by authorities, but they have declined to disclose more details about what happened.
Police confirmed earlier this week that they had spoken with Athena’s parents but declined to elaborate on the specifics of the case.
Officers examined Athena’s house and are now searching the neighborhood for more hints.
Arbeitman added, “We are finding things around town that could be helpful in this case, but I’m not going to label them evidence.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, von Adams is presently being held in Maricopa County Prison while he waits to be extradited to Oklahoma. According to authorities, Alysia Adams is being held at Oklahoma’s Caddo County Prison.
On Friday, it remained unclear if the pair is represented by a lawyer.
Why was Athena Brownfield living with the man now charged with killing her?
It’s one of the major questions surrounding the tragic death of the 4-year-old. Police said Athena’s mom left her in the care of Alysia and Ivon Adams as many as two years ago.
“Ideally, if you’re going to have a child that’s out of your home a significant amount of time, you would go through the court and give guardianship to somebody,” said Linque Gillett, a family law attorney.
How the two caretakers, Ivon and Alysia, came to be in charge of Athena, 4, and her 5-year-old sister is a mystery. Athena and her sister were living with Ivon and Alysia after their real mother abandoned them in the couple’s care, according to a court document made public on Tuesday.
According to the records, Athena and her sister addressed them as “mom” and “dad” or as “uncle Ivon” and “Aly.” Gillett has been practicing family law for 15 years but is unrelated to this case.
Resources:”Ultimately, you as the parent have the responsibility – as that parent legally responsible for your child – and you have to make safe decisions for your child,” Gillett said.
The statement stated that Alysia and Ivon did not take either child for checks and that Athena’s sister, who is 5 years old, was not enrolled in school.
According to the lawyer, parents frequently worry about the expense or other factors when considering using the legal system to appoint someone to care for their children. Athena’s biological parents are cooperating, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and have not been charged in this instance.
