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The caretaker of a missing 4-year-old girl, who is believed dead, appeared to post photos and inspirational messages to her Instagram account after the girl's disappearance.
Athena Brownfield was initially reported missing on Jan. 10 after a postal carrier found her 5-year-old sister wandering around alone in Cyril, Oklahoma, around 2 p.m. Investigators believe Athena died while under the watch of her caretakers, Ivon and Alysia Adams, on Dec. 25, 2022.
Between Christmas and Alysia's arrest on Jan. 12, she posted multiple photos of herself and inspirational quotes to her Instagram account — despite confessing to police that Ivon beat the toddler to death on Dec. 25, according to an affidavit.
"When you start to love yourself everything else will fall into place," Alysia apparently wrote in the caption of a Jan. 3 Instagram post, along with a selfie.
Apparent Jan. 3 photo of Alysia Adams of Oklahoma, who is charged with child neglect in connection with the disappearance of Athena Brownfield. (Instagram/ aly00029)
About a week before her arrest, she appeared to post a photo of herself in a red dress with the caption, "2022 was a hell of a year so ready to make 2023 mine."
Athena and her older sister called Alysia "Mom" and "Aly," according to the affidavit. They called Ivon "Dad" and "Uncle Ivon," the court filing states. Their biological mother, Jasmin Brownfield, left the girls in the Adams' care approximately one to two years prior to Athena's disappearance. The Adams did not take the girls to the doctor or enroll Athena in school, according to the affidavit.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents on Thursday arrested Alysia Adams on two counts of child neglect in connection with the disappearance of 4-year-old Athena Brownfield. (OSBI)
Alysia is charged with two counts of child neglect in connection with Athena Brownfield's disappearance from Cyril, Oklahoma. Ivon Adams is charged with first-degree murder and child neglect in connection with Athena's suspected death.
OKLAHOMA AUTHORITIES MAKE ARREST IN MISSING TODDLER ATHENA BROWFIELD'S MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE
Murder suspect Ivon Adams was transferred to the Caddo County Jail on Thursday. (Caddo County Jail)
"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 alleged abuse occurred at the Adams' home at 225 West Nebraska Avenue in Cyril, Oklahoma.
Ivon Adams and Alysia Adams have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of Oklahoma toddler Athena Brownfield. (MCSO, NCMEC and OSBI)
Ivon left the residence with Athena afterward and later told Alysia that he buried her near the fence line of their old property in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, according to Alvarez.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) announced on Jan. 17 that they had "recovered the remains of a child in rural Grady County outside of Rush Springs," though they could not confirm the remains were Brownfield's. Authorities are awaiting official autopsy results.
Athena Brownfield, 4, has been missing since at least Tuesday and authorities are continuing to search for her. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
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The murder suspect fled to Phoenix, Arizona, where officials with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office arrested him on a charge of acting as a fugitive from justice. He was initially held in Arizona but was transferred back to Caddo County on Thursday.
Anyone with information about Athena's whereabouts is asked to contact OSBI at 405-879-2591 or local police.
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