Search continues for missing 4-year-old Oklahoma girl; caretakers arrested
The second caretaker of a missing 4-year-old Oklahoma girl was arrested Friday. The search began when the girl's 5-year-old sister was discovered wandering alone by a postal carrier Tuesday.
Ivon Adams, 36, was taken into custody in Arizona on Thursday, the OSBI said in a Friday Facebook post, and is awaiting extradition to Oklahoma. The agency did not release information about what charges he was facing.
His wife, Alyisa Adams, was taken into custody on two counts of child neglect on Thursday, OSBI said Thursday.
The Adams' were caretakers for the two young girls, OSBI said.
The incident unfolded when police in the small Oklahoma town of Cyril were notified that 4-year-old Athena Brownfield was missing, after her five-year-old sister was found by a postal carrier at about 2 p.m. local time Tuesday outside Adams' home. A missing person's poster first described Brownfield as 3, but later updates from the agency have referred to her as 4.
Brownfield remained missing as of Thursday evening. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Emergency Response Team and local volunteers conducted a grid search of the entire town. That search included an examination of every known vacant house, and of local waterways, OSBI said.
In addition, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections was using search dogs in the area, officials said, and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs were flying drones over the community. Law enforcement was also conducting interviews and reviewing surveillance videos as the search continued into Thursday, authorities said.
Authorities have said they believe the young girl is in Cyril, or the surrounding area in Caddo County. Cyril is a small town of less than 900 people located about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.
Athena is described as 3-feet-tall, 45 pounds with light brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a pink butterfly sweater and pink pants, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
"The entire law enforcement community assisting with locating Athena appreciates local volunteers, restaurants, churches and all the tips that have been phoned in," the OSBI said in a news release.
