Husband & Wife Caretakers For Missing Oklahoma Girl, 4, Arrested As Search For Toddler Expands Out Of State
Jan. 13 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
The caretakers of a missing Cyril, Oklahoma, girl, Athena Brownfield, 4, were arrested on charges of child neglect after investigators expanded the ongoing search for the toddler outside of the state, RadarOnline.com has learned.
On the evening of January 12, Alysia Adams, 30, was arrested by local police after it was determined that she and her husband, Ivon Adams, were responsible for two girls' care at the time of Athena's disappearance.
After exhausting city-wide search efforts and receiving tips from the community, investigators expanded their efforts beyond Oklahoma state lines.
One day after his wife's arrest, Ivon was located in Phoenix, Arizona, and was taken into custody.
A local Cyril postal worker's suspicions led police to discover that Athena was missing after the employee found her older sister wandering outside alone on January 10 and called 911.
The postal worker, who remained anonymous, told authorities that when they came across the unattended child outside, they quickly realized something was amiss and the young girl was "not where she was supposed to be."
Police then discovered that the girl's little sister was nowhere to be found. Athena was reported as a missing person, and a search for the toddler was launched the same day. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations was brought in to lead the investigation.
Trash services for Cyril were also suspended on January 12 — along with police seizing a vehicle from the Adams' home.
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"We are collecting items that could be relevant. I’m not going to call them evidence, but we are finding things around town that could be helpful in this case," OSBI agent Brook Arbeitman said of the ongoing investigation.
The circumstances of their arrangement with Athena's biological parents — who have not been located — and the Adams remain unclear.
Authorities have yet to determine whether or not the couple was home when the postal worker first discovered Athena's sister. Additionally, it has yet to be determined if the Adams had other children in their care.
Some neighbors spoke with local news KFOR, claiming they had not seen Athena since Thursday, January 5.
Penny Brownfield, who identified herself to reporters as Athena's grandmother, shared her feelings on the ongoing search before Alysia's arrest on January 11.
"[I feel] heart-wrenching chest pains [and] sick to my stomach," the grandmother stated. "We just want her found and safe."
Penny said that her family is trying to remain "hopeful and positive."