The remains of 4-year-old Athena Brownfield have been identified after her alleged murder on Christmas Day, according to Oklahoma officials.
Last week, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) said it recovered a child’s remains outside Rush Springs, Fox News reported Thursday.
In a social media post, the OSBI announced, “The Oklahoma Office of Chief Medical Examiner has positively identified the remains Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) agents recovered on January 17, 2023 as those of Athena Brownfield, 4.”
“Due to a gag order filed in Caddo County District Court, there is no additional comment on the investigation from the OSBI,” the agency stated.
The agency’s followers expressed their sadness over the news, one person writing, “Rest in peace, beautiful angel. You are loved by so many and God will love you and protect you forever.”
On January 10, she was reported missing when her older sister was found walking alone in the area of Cyril.
“Investigators believe Athena died while under the watch of her caretakers, Ivon and Alysia Adams, on Dec. 25, 2022,” the Fox report said.
The woman faces charges of two counts of child neglect per the little girl’s disappearance, while the man faces a charge of first-degree murder and child neglect regarding her death.
Aerial video footage shows investigators processing the scene where her remains were found:
The Fox report continued:
“Alysia confessed that on Dec. 25, 2022, around midnight that night, Ivon beat [Athena] and held her by her arms, [Athena] was not moving and her eyes were barely open,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Special Agent Brenna Alvarez wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed in Caddo County. “He then laid her on the ground and punched her chest at least more three times after that. [Athena] never moved after that.”
The incident reportedly occurred at the couple’s residence in Cyril. According to Alvarez, the man eventually left with the child, then allegedly told the woman he buried her body in Rush Springs.
A Brownfield family member told News 9 their family has been dysfunctional for a long time, and when he was young his grandparents removed him from the situation:
Per the Fox article, Ivon Adams eventually fled to Arizona where officials arrested him on a charge of acting as a fugitive from justice and transferred him back to Caddo County.
The outlet noted, “A man who shares a child with Jasmin Brownfield — Athena’s biological mother — who spoke to Fox News Digital on the condition of anonymity said Ivon and Alysia were Jasmin’s cousins.” He also claimed that Brownfield has left her children before.
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