Oklahoma town grieves 4-year-old Athena Brownfield, many unanswered questions remain

CYRIL — Amid haunting questions surrounding the short life of a blue-eyed little girl, residents of this rural town, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, likely got the answer they feared most, when an intensive search for Athena Brownfield led to the discovery of a child’s remains in tangled brush off a desolate road in a neighboring county.

While the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner worked to positively identify the remains, most in the community of around 800 people believed investigators had answered the question.

Where was Athena?

The 4-year-old appears to have been found in Grady County Tuesday, near Rush Springs about 15 miles east, a lifeless body, cruelly beaten and callously dumped, decaying for weeks in the winter cold.

Still, those in this town and surrounding communities had more questions.

Among them was Brianne Madson, of Cement, who on Wednesday brought her 7-year-old son and her infant boy to the house on West Nebraska Avenue, to add a stuffed animal to the collection of toys, candles and cards others placed on the porch.

In the front yard lay two Christmas tree ball ornaments, collecting dirt.

“It’s hard to wrap my head around how someone can do this to a child,” Madson said.

Missing 4-year-old :Caregiver killed Athena Brownfield on Christmas Day, investigators contend in court filings

Her older son has questions, too, Madson said, fighting back tears.

“I was open with him,” she said. “There’s people out there that’s bad. There’s people that’s horrible.”

Many Cyril residents, fellow Oklahomans across the state and those throughout the country who are following the case have even more questions.

Chiefly, how did Athena and her big sister end up in the care of Ivon and Alysia Adams?

Athena Brownfield's disappearance leads to the arrest of caretakers

During the search, which rattled this community and rallied it together, Athena’s male caretaker, Ivon Neil Adams III, 36, was charged in Caddo County District Court with first-degree murder and child neglect.

He is accused in the murder count of striking Athena multiple times. He is accused in the child neglect count of leaving her 5-year-old sister alone on Jan. 6.

His wife, Alysia Adams, told an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent Ivon Adams beat Athena about midnight Christmas Day, according to a court affidavit.

Athena “never moved” again after Ivon Adams laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest, according to the affidavit.

He left about 1 a.m. Dec. 26, and later told Alysia he buried her near a fence line next to their old residence in Rush Springs, and placed a large broken branch over the burial site, according to the affidavit.

Ivon Adams was arrested in Glendale, Arizona. He agreed to return to Oklahoma to fight the accusations.

Alysia Adams, 31, is charged in Caddo County District Court with two counts of child neglect.

She is accused in the first count of failing to properly supervise the 5-year-old. She is accused in the second count of failing to protect Athena from physical abuse.

Search for Athena Brownfield triggered by discovery of sister

The search for Athena began Jan. 10 after a postal carrier found her sister wandering outside in Cyril about 2 p.m. The postal carrier notified authorities.

The 5-year-old was placed in protective custody, according to the OSBI.

She disclosed she was “tired of being alone,” according to the court affidavit.

The OSBI said Athena and her sister were related to Alysia Adams.

Some members of the community told The Oklahoman that Athena’s biological mother, Jasmin Brownfield, and Alysia Adams are cousins.

Brownfield is believed to have left Athena and her big sister with Alysia and Ivon Adams a-year-and-a-half to two years ago, according to the court affidavit.

The 5-year-old said she called Alysia "mom" and "Aly" and called Ivon "dad" and "Uncle Ivon."

On Thursday, The Oklahoman called Jasmin Brownfield.

When asked if she was Alysisa Adams’ cousin, and if she would talk about the case, Brownfield paused, and declined to answer.

Jasmin Brownfield has been accused by Penny Brownfield, a Lawton woman who claims to be the little girls’ paternal grandmother, of not allowing the biological father to see the kids.

Penny Brownfield told The Oklahoman her son had not seen the girls in at least a year.

"She hid the kids from us all this time."

One neighbor, who spoke to The Oklahoman briefly before going back into her house, said “I never saw them kids outside.”

Were authorities ever alerted before?

While the question of why Jasmin Brownfield left her girls in the care of the Adamses remains to be answered, another key question also remains unknown.

Was the Oklahoma Department of Human Services ever involved in the welfare of Athena and her older sister?

Casey L. White, a DHS spokeswoman, told The Oklahoman she could not comment “because child welfare cases are confidential by state and federal statute.”

OSBI spokeswoman Brook Arbeitman said she could not comment on the matter because of the ongoing investigation.

A private practice attorney says that in Oklahoma, biological parents have options if they can no longer take care of their children, including simply placing their kids in the care of someone else, without going through the court system.

Still, said Tulsa-based attorney James M. Wirth, whose firm’s practice areas include family law, the best option is for parents to file child placement through the courts.

In some cases, parents may sign over power of attorney to new caregivers.

A third scenario is the state custody of the children.

In cases where someone has taken over care of children from someone else, they can choose to not do anything in the courts, Wirth said.

Wirth said they can care for the child, but many times “stumble” along the way because they “have no legal authority.”

This typically happens when the children enroll in school or need medical care, Wirth said.

At that point, many call an attorney for help, he said.

A community grieves their loss

In Cyril, community leaders told The Oklahoman their town has pulled together during unspeakable grief.

“This community always comes together strong,” Cyril Public Schools Superintendent Jamie Mitchell said. “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 during the heart-wrenching search for Athena.

Rev. Donnie Miller said the tragedy will be a reference point for sermons for a while.

As the days 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 said.

Still, Miller said, many in Cyril are relying on their faith.

That faith might be refined in the fire of unanswered questions about Athena, why she is gone and why her big sister must press on without her.

“We’re gonna trust God,” Miller said. “We don’t live in a perfect world, but as far as I’m concerned, we serve a perfect God.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Athena Brownfield case leaves Cyril, Oklahoma grieving