Caregiver Says Husband Killed 4 year Old Girl, Buried Her in Nearby Town

Missing 4-year old Athena Brownfield from Cyril, Oklahoma.

CYRIL, Okla. –

A caregiver for a missing 4-year-old girl from Cyril, Okla., confessed to state investigators that her husband killed the girl before burying her in Rush Springs, according to an arrest warrant released Tuesday.

Athena Brownfield was reported missing Jan. 10. Authorities and the entire community of this Caddo County town have been looking for her ever since. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced Monday that their mission was now to recover the girl’s remains, ruling out hope that she would be found alive.

An arrest warrant for Ivon Adams, who has been accused of both child neglect and first-degree murder, said Alysia Adams told investigators that on Dec. 25, Ivon struck Athena Brownfield. While Athena was on the ground, not moving and her eyes barely opened, Ivon then punched her at least three more times in the chest.

The warrant then said Ivon left with Athena at around 1 a.m. Dec. 26. When he returned shortly thereafter, he told Alysia he had buried Athena near their old residence in Rush Springs, approximately 20 miles southeast of Cyril.