Prosecutors: Both caretakers to blame in 4-year-old Athena Brownfield's malnutrition death

ANADARKO — In a change, prosecutors now allege 4-year-old Athena Brownfield died Christmas Day from malnutrition at her home in Cyril and not from a beating.

They also alleged for the first time Tuesday that both her caretakers are to blame.

Ivon Neil Adams III is now charged with second-degree murder. His wife, Alysia Adina Adams, is now charged with first-degree murder.

Both waived a preliminary hearing after prosecutors amended the cases against them Tuesday in Caddo County District Court.

The search for Athena Brownfield ended tragically

A massive search for Athena began on Jan. 10 after a postal carrier found her older sister, Adina, wandering around outside the home in Cyril. The carrier notified police.

The sister, then 5, said she had been at the house alone and was tired of it. The town is about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

The search became highly publicized and ended tragically. Agents with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation recovered Athena's remains Jan. 17 in the Rush Springs area.

What was the initial charge against Ivon Adams?

Ivon Adams, 37, initially was charged with first-degree murder based on statements made by his wife.

He also was charged in January with child neglect.

The wife told an OSBI agent that Ivon Adams beat the girl on Christmas Day around midnight and then held her up by her arms.

Athena "was not moving and her eyes were barely open," she said, according to a court affidavit. "He then laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in her chest."

District Attorney Jason Hicks said in court Tuesday her statement was incorrect.

"There was no physical assault of Athena Brownfield," he told a judge.

The medical examiner found no bruises, scratches or broken bones during the autopsy, he said.

The girl actually died from malnutrition complicated by COVID-19 "and a couple of other viruses," he said.

Ivon Adams still faces a child neglect count accusing him of leaving the sister without any supervision in January. He also faces a new count — unlawful removal of a dead body — accusing him of burying Athena's body in rural Grady County. Both are felonies.

Her body was found inside a zipped black backpack buried in a shallow grave in a field, according to the autopsy report. The body weighed only 23 pounds.

The medical examiner reported she was less than the "3rd percentile per weight-for-stature, weight-for-age and stature-for-age growth charts."

What was the initial charge against Alysia Adams?

Alysia Adams, 32, wiped her eyes with a tissue in court waiting for her turn before the judge.

She had faced two felony counts of child neglect.

She now faces a felony count of first-degree murder, a felony count of child neglect and a misdemeanor count of obstruction of a public officer.

She is accused in the first-degree murder count of causing Athena's death by "willful torture." Prosecutors specifically alleged she put the girl in a closet and deprived her of proper nutrition and water.

Prosecutors did file what is known as an alternative count over the death — second-degree murder — which is allowed under the law "when the proof may be uncertain."

She is accused in the child neglect count of leaving the sister without supervision in January.

She is accused in the obstruction count of hindering the investigation when she told the OSBI her husband had beat Athena. "Said information ... after further investigation was discovered to be false," prosecutors said.

The girls had been left by their mother with Ivon and Alysia Adams in April 2021, the OSBI said. The mother and Alysia Adams are related.

The mother, Jasmin Adina Kay Brownfield, 27, of Stillwater, was charged in May with two counts of child neglect by abandonment. Her preliminary hearing in the felony case is set for January.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Athena Brownfield: Prosecutors now allege both caretakers to blame