CYRIL — Amid haunting questions surrounding the brief lifetime of a blue-eyed little woman, residents of this rural city, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, probably received the reply they feared most, when an intensive seek for Athena Brownfield led to the invention of a kid’s stays in tangled brush off a desolate highway in a neighboring county.
While the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner labored to positively determine the stays, most locally of round 800 folks believed investigators had answered the query.
Where was Athena?
The 4-year-old seems to have been present in Grady County Tuesday, close to Rush Springs about 15 miles east, a dull physique, cruelly overwhelmed and callously dumped, decaying for weeks within the winter chilly.
Still, these on this city and surrounding communities had extra questions.
Among them was Brianne Madson, of Cement, who on Wednesday introduced her 7-year-old son and her toddler boy to the home on West Nebraska Avenue, so as to add a stuffed animal to the gathering of toys, candles and playing cards others positioned on the porch.
In the entrance yard lay two Christmas tree ball ornaments, gathering grime.
“It’s hard to wrap my head around how someone can do this to a child,” Madson stated.
Missing 4-year-old :Caregiver killed Athena Brownfield on Christmas Day, investigators contend in courtroom filings
Her older son has questions, too, Madson stated, preventing again tears.
“I was open with him,” she stated. “There’s people out there that’s bad. There’s people that’s horrible.”
Many Cyril residents, fellow Oklahomans throughout the state and people all through the nation who’re following the case have much more questions.
Chiefly, how did Athena and her massive sister find yourself within the care of Ivon and Alysia Adams?
Athena Brownfield’s disappearance results in the arrest of caretakers
During the search, which rattled this neighborhood and rallied it collectively, Athena’s male caretaker, Ivon Neil Adams III, 36, was charged in Caddo County District Court with first-degree homicide and baby neglect.
He is accused within the homicide depend of hanging Athena a number of occasions. He is accused within the baby neglect depend of leaving her 5-year-old sister alone on Jan. 6.
His spouse, Alysia Adams, advised an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Ivon Adams beat Athena about midnight Christmas Day, in line with a courtroom affidavit.
Athena “never moved” once more after Ivon Adams laid her on the bottom and punched her a minimum of three extra occasions within the chest, in line with the affidavit.
He left about 1 a.m. Dec. 26, and later advised Alysia he buried her close to a fence line subsequent to their previous residence in Rush Springs, and positioned a big damaged department over the burial website, in line with the affidavit.
Ivon Adams was arrested in Glendale, Arizona. He agreed to return to Oklahoma to battle the accusations.
Alysia Adams, 31, is charged in Caddo County District Court with two counts of kid neglect.
She is accused within the first depend of failing to correctly supervise the 5-year-old. She is accused within the second depend of failing to guard Athena from bodily abuse.
Search for Athena Brownfield triggered by discovery of sister
The seek for Athena started Jan. 10 after a postal service discovered her sister wandering outdoors in Cyril about 2 p.m. The postal service notified authorities.
The 5-year-old was positioned in protecting custody, in line with the OSBI.
She disclosed she was “tired of being alone,” in line with the courtroom affidavit.
The OSBI stated Athena and her sister had been associated to Alysia Adams.
Some members of the neighborhood advised The Oklahoman that Athena’s organic mom, Jasmin Brownfield, and Alysia Adams are cousins.
Brownfield is believed to have left Athena and her massive sister with Alysia and Ivon Adams a-year-and-a-half to 2 years in the past, in line with the courtroom affidavit.
The 5-year-old stated she referred to as Alysia “mom” and “Aly” and referred to as Ivon “dad” and “Uncle Ivon.”
On Thursday, The Oklahoman referred to as Jasmin Brownfield.
When requested if she was Alysisa Adams’ cousin, and if she would discuss concerning the case, Brownfield paused, and declined to reply.
Jasmin Brownfield has been accused by Penny Brownfield, a Lawton girl who claims to be the little women’ paternal grandmother, of not permitting the organic father to see the youngsters.
Penny Brownfield advised The Oklahoman her son had not seen the women in a minimum of a yr.
“She hid the kids from us all this time.”
One neighbor, who spoke to The Oklahoman briefly earlier than going again into her home, stated “I never saw them kids outside.”
Were authorities ever alerted earlier than?
While the query of why Jasmin Brownfield left her women within the care of the Adamses stays to be answered, one other key query additionally stays unknown.
Was the Oklahoma Department of Human Services ever concerned within the welfare of Athena and her older sister?
Casey L. White, a DHS spokeswoman, advised The Oklahoman she couldn’t remark “because child welfare cases are confidential by state and federal statute.”
OSBI spokeswoman Brook Arbeitman stated she couldn’t touch upon the matter due to the continuing investigation.
A non-public apply legal professional says that in Oklahoma, organic dad and mom have choices if they will not deal with their youngsters, together with merely putting their children within the care of another person, with out going via the courtroom system.
Still, stated Tulsa-based legal professional James M. Wirth, whose agency’s apply areas embrace household legislation, the best choice is for folks to file baby placement via the courts.
In some circumstances, dad and mom might signal over energy of legal professional to new caregivers.
A 3rd situation is the state custody of the youngsters.
In circumstances the place somebody has taken over care of kids from another person, they will select to not do something within the courts, Wirth stated.
Wirth stated they will look after the kid, however many occasions “stumble” alongside the way in which as a result of they “have no legal authority.”
This sometimes occurs when the youngsters enroll in class or want medical care, Wirth stated.
At that time, many name an legal professional for assist, he stated.
A neighborhood grieves their loss
In Cyril, neighborhood leaders advised The Oklahoman their city has pulled collectively throughout unspeakable grief.
“This community always comes together strong,” Cyril Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Mitchell stated. “It doesn’t matter if it’s good, or something tragic like this.”
Family Life Church on Third Street was a hub for investigators and volunteers throughout the heart-wrenching seek for Athena.
Rev. Donnie Miller stated the tragedy might be a reference level for sermons for some time.
As the times of the search wore on, hope crumbled to despair.
“You start getting the sense that there could be another outcome than what we want,” Miller stated.
Still, Miller stated, many in Cyril are counting on their religion.
That religion could be refined within the hearth of unanswered questions on Athena, why she is gone and why her massive sister should press on with out her.
“We’re gonna trust God,” Miller stated. “We don’t live in a perfect world, but as far as I’m concerned, we serve a perfect God.”
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