Search for missing 4-year-old becomes recovery operation

CADDO COUNTY, Okla. (KSWO) - The search for missing 4-year-old Athena Brownfield has officially been changed to a recovery operation, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) confirmed Monday.

The OSBI asked the public to not self-deploy to search for Athena, citing risks of trespassing or contaminating potential evidence. OSBI and Oklahoma Highway Patrol agents searched the home and areas of Caddo County for the toddler’s remains over the weekend, and the investigation is ongoing.

Monday’s press release confirmed Athena and her 5-year-old sister had been under the care of relative Alysia Adams and her husband Ivon for at least a year. It said the girls’ biological parents had been interviewed and were cooperating with the investigation.

People in southwest Oklahoma have been scrutinizing the search, which began when Athena’s 5-year-old sister was discovered alone outside their home by a postal carrier on Jan. 10 outside the Adams’ home. Both caretakers were arrested two days later. Alysia Adams faces two counts of child neglect, while Ivon Adams faces one count of first degree murder and one count of child neglect. Ivon was arrested in Phoenix, and is expected to be extradited to Oklahoma within the next week.

The press release stressed that neither Alysia or Ivon have been convicted of a crime, saying they were innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. “Rumors on social media will not help the investigation and may instead hinder progress,” said agents in a press release.

READ: RECAP: the search for Athena Brownfield

If you have information about this case, please contact the OSBI tipline at (800) 522-8017 or email tips@osbi.ok.gov. You can remain anonymous.