Ivon Adams, Cyril, Oklahoma man arrested in relation to Athena Brownfield, missing 4 year old girl. Faces first degree murder and child neglect. Caretaker’s arrest comes hours after wife, Alysia Adam’s arrest.
A caretaker of a missing 4-year-old Oklahoma girl has been accused of murder and child neglect, hours after the man’s wife was arrested and charged on two counts of child neglect.
Ivon Neil Adams III, 36, of Cyril, was arrested Thursday in Arizona. He agreed Friday in his first court appearance to return to Oklahoma to fight the accusation the Oklahoman reported.
‘I want to get there and take care of it,’ he told a judge.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed in a news release Ivon Adams facing a murder count and a child neglect count.
The man’s arrest follows his wife, Alysia Adams arrest earlier that day in Cyril, Oklahoma on two counts of child neglect after a five year old girl was found walking on the street on Tuesday. The child’s 4 year old sister, Athena continues to remain un-accounted.
Athena Brownfield was beaten to death by caretaker on Christmas Day
Evidence of child homicide found on phone
The search for Athena Brownfield began Tuesday after a postal carrier in Cyril discovered her 5-year-old sister wandering around outside and called police.
Efforts to locate Athena continue, the OSBI said Friday night despite fears that the girl is now dead. The 5-year-old is in protective custody.
Adams was arrested Thursday afternoon in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.
The subject was arrested due to an outstanding felony warrant issued out of Oklahoma for murder in the first degree and child neglect,’ a Phoenix police detective reported in a court questionnaire.
Adams was told during his first court appearance that his bail has been set at $1 million. The man’s wife, Alysia Adams remains held at Caddo County jail.
Evidence of the ‘child homicide’ offense was found on the husband’s cellphone, the Phoenix detective also stated.
The court record does not identify the victim by name. It does reflect that Adams and the victim resided together.
How did husband and wife come to be caretakers to sisters?
Ivon and Alysia Adams were Athena’s caretakers when she disappeared, the OSBI said Friday night. The 5-year-old was also in their care.
They have been married since 2014, court records show.
The siblings were under the care of their mother who had had sole custody for the last year and a half. It remained unclear how the mother came to leave the two girls in the care of the husband and wife. Also unclear is how long the sisters had been in the care of the Adams prior to their disappearance.
Cyril is a town about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. It notified residents Thursday that all trash pickup has been postponed until further notice from the OSBI. To date no body or the whereabouts of Athena Brownfield have been found.
Anyone with information about Athena’s whereabouts is asked to contact OSBI at 405-879-2591 or local police.
