Remains Of Missing 4-Year-Old Girl Athena Brownfield Found In Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reported that authorities searching for a missing 4-year-old girl in Oklahoma discovered a child's remains near Rush Springs in rural Grady County on Tuesday.

"At this time, the OSBI cannot confirm the remains are those of Athena Brownfield," the bureau stated. "The remains will be transported to the Medical Examiner's Office in Oklahoma City for positive identification."

READ : Man Faces Murder Charge In Case Of Missing 4-Year-Old Girl

Athena Brownfield's caregivers Ivon Adams and Alysia Adams have been accused of child neglect charges and murder in connection with her disappearance.

Ivon Adams was taken into custody on January 12 in Arizona on unresolved accusations from Oklahoma. He was lodged in the Maricopa County Detention Center.

Adams was taken into custody for first-degree murder and child neglect. A $1 million bond is being used to hold him.

Adams was released to a separate agency on January 19 and he was going back to Oklahoma, the Maricopa County Jail confirmed. Adams was incarcerated at Anadarko's Caddo County Jail.

According to the Grady County Sheriff's Office, Alysia Adams, 31, was taken into custody on Thursday and placed into the Caddo County Jail on two counts of child maltreatment.

About 60 miles south of Oklahoma City in rural Grady County, the remains were discovered just outside the town of Rush Springs. About 25 miles separate Cyril from Rush Springs, where a postal worker last month discovered Athena's sister out on her own.

After searching for the girl for a week, investigators announced on Monday that they were now conducting a "recovery operation" to locate her remains.

According to court records, Alysia Adams admitted to detectives on January 12 that her husband, Ivon Adams, beat Athena on Dec. 25 at their residence on Nebraska Avenue in Cyril at midnight. The documents state that Athena's eyes were barely open and that she was not moving.

The 4-year-old was allegedly then placed on the ground by Ivon Adams, who allegedly then punched her at least three more times in the chest. Following then, Athena remained immobile, according to court filings. According to the court documents, Ivon Adams left the home with Athena on Dec. 26 at around1 a.m. The documents state that when he returned, he told Alysia Adams that he had buried her close to a fence line that was next to their previous residence in Rush Springs and that he had covered the grave with a sizable broken branch.

Authorities concluded that Ivon Adams committed first-degree murder as a result of Alysia Adams' confession.

Athena Brownfield and her 5-year-old sister lived with Alysia and Ivon Adams, and the two girls were related to Alysia. According to court documents, Athena and her 5-year-old sister's biological mother abandoned the girls in the care of Alysia and Ivon Adams 1 1/2 to 2 years ago. According to court filings, the Adams never took the kids to the doctor or registered Athena's sibling for school.

Athena Brownfield will be laid to rest at a funeral service that has been scheduled. Brownfield's funeral ceremony will be place at the Stride Bank Center, located at 301 S. Independence Ave. in Enid, at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, according to an obituary posted by Amy Stittsworth Funeral Services.

Roger Thompson, a state senator, will preside over the service. His staff informed KOCO 5 that he declined to remark but expressed gratitude for the opportunity to attend the occasion.