The remains of a missing 4-year-old Oklahoma child have been recognized as those discovered last week, according to officials, who announced this on Thursday.
When Athena Brownfield’s remains were first discovered on January 17 in a remote area of Grady County, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was unable to positively identify them as hers and stated that a medical examiner would do so.
On Thursday, the agency announced that Athena’s remains had been positively identified by the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The bureau declined to comment more, citing a gag order that forbids law enforcement organizations from releasing information about the investigation to the public and was filed in Caddo County District Court.
Since Jan. 10, when a postal worker saw Athena’s 5-year-old sister alone near the kids’ Cyril home, authorities and volunteers have been looking for her, according to the state bureau. They were aware that another youngster was missing at that point, according to agency spokesperson Brook Arbeitman.
On January 16, authorities declared that they were now conducting a “recovery operation” to locate her remains.
According to the state agency, the remains were discovered outside Rush Springs, roughly 16 miles southeast of Cyril, in neighboring Caddo County. About where and how they were discovered, the authorities haven’t provided any other information.
On January 12, Ivon Adams and his wife Alysia Adams were detained in connection with the investigation.
Ivon Adams, 36, was detained in Phoenix and is accused of first-degree homicide and child negligence, according to the state bureau.
Two accusations of child maltreatment have been brought against Alysia Adams, 31, who was detained at the Grady County Sheriff’s Office. Officials reported that she is being held at the Caddo County Jail.
According to online court and jail records, the NBC affiliate KFOR of Oklahoma City, and Ivon Adams, who waived extradition, Ivon Adams is currently detained in Oklahoma. Requests for comment on Thursday night were not immediately answered by the attorneys named for either party.
Alysia Adams reportedly told a state bureau special agent that her husband beat Athena to death on Christmas, according to the arrest affidavits for the couple. According to the complaint, she claimed he informed her he buried her body close to their former home in Rush Springs.
According to the State Bureau of Investigation, Alysia Adams is linked to the two girls and has been looking after the sisters for at least a year. According to Arbeitman, the state took custody of Athena’s sibling.
The original parents of the daughters have been questioned by agents and are assisting with the inquiry, according to the state bureau. Authorities initiated a broad search for Athena, who was described as having weak verbal skills when her 5-year-old sister was discovered.
According to KFOR, authorities have investigated ponds and other bodies of water in the area as far as nearby Grady County. The community of Cyril is located in Caddo County, about 65 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
