The more details released about the horrific and heartbreaking death of Athena Brownfield, the more questions are raised.
Athena is the 4-year-old Cyril girl who was reported missing Jan. 10 after her 5-year-old sister, who was roaming the neighborhood, approached a postal worker and said she was tired of being alone. That encounter led to the revelation that her younger sister was missing. An intensive manhunt, involving the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the Cyril Police Department, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, volunteer searchers from Cyril, dogs and helicopters, was then launched.
People speculated about Athena’s whereabouts: Had she wandered off from home? If so, when? How long had she been missing, hours or days? She was out in the cold? Did someone snatch her?
The truth would be much harsher and unbelievable.
Two days after the search began, officials arrested Athena’s caretakers — Ivon and Alysia Adams — for felony child neglect. Ivon Adams was arrested in Phoenix, Ariz., where he had taken the couple’s four children on Jan. 6. Details emerged that the couple had been caretakers for Athena and her sister for 1½ to 2 years.
Then the case took an even uglier turn when officials announced the case had moved from search to recovery. At that time, unbeknownst to the public, Alysia Adams had told authorities that Ivon Adams had beaten Athena to death the night of Christmas Day and buried her body in Grady County.
That revelation raised even more questions. If she was killed Dec. 25, did no one notice her being missing until Jan. 10? That’s 17 days. Who was supposed to be watching her? Where were the adults who were supposed to be taking care of her? Did no one in the family miss her?
On Tuesday, officials discovered a child’s body buried near Rush Springs. As of Friday afternoon, the Medical Examiner’s Office had not identified the remains.
The questions don’t stop there. Why did Ivon and Alysia Adams have custody of the two girls? What is the relationship between the Adams’ and the girls’ biological parents, identified as Wesley Brownfield and Jasmin Brownfield? Are the two couples related?
Photos from social media, which have since been deleted, show Alysia and Ivon Adams at an event Dec. 30-31. Alysia Adams posted a photo of herself in a red dress with the comment, “2022 was a hell of a year so ready to make 2023 mine.”
Really? How could they ring in the new year in such a gay fashion if Ivon Adams really did beat a 4-year-old girl to death just days before? If Ivon Adams beat Athena to death in front of Alysia, as she has told authorities, why didn’t she say something earlier?
We are sure authorities know the answers to these questions and more. We hope at least some of the questions are answered once the investigation is over.
Athena’s sister is in state custody. The other four children are with relatives in Arizona. We hope all are safe.
If the allegations against the two are true, we hope they never have contact with another child, theirs or someone else’s. They obviously have little to no regard for human life, especially that of a 4-year-old who was entrusted into their care.
