Funeral services have been announced for 4-Year-Old Athena Brownfield, the little Oklahoma girl allegedly killed by her male caregiver.
Funeral services have been announced for Athena Brownfield, the 4-year-old Oklahoma girl allegedly beaten to death by her male caregiver as a judge issued a gag order in her murder case.
The child's memorial is planned for Wednesday at the Stride Bank Center in Enid, according to an online obituary. The public is welcome.
Little Athena's favorite things were the color purple, "Baby Shark," and playing dress-up, the announcement said. She also adored her big sister, Adina, to whom she was "joined at the hip."
Athena was born on Sept. 6, 2018 in Lawton, Oklahoma, and was raised in Nebraska and later in Oklahoma, the notice said.
Her 5-year-old sister, who was found frightened and wandering alone on Jan. 10, alerted authorities to the fact that Athena was missing. After nearly a week of searching, state agents announced the investigation had become a "recovery" operation.
On Jan. 17, a child's remains were found not far from the home where Athena and her sister lived with Ivon Adams and Alysia Adams, who were the children's caregivers, authorities said. Ivon has been charged with first-degree murder in Athena's death. Alysia has been charged with two counts of child neglect.
In an arrest warrant affidavit, authorities said Alysia had told investigators her estranged husband beat the child on Christmas Day until she no longer moved. Ivon Adams left the next day with the girl, and later said he had buried her near a home where the couple used to live and covered the site with a tree branch, the affidavit alleged.
Authorities have not said why the girls were living with the couple. The sisters are related to Alysia Adams, investigators said.
On Friday, a judge issued a gag order in the highly publicized case, banning attorneys, law enforcement and court workers from commenting on the legal proceedings.
Both suspects are currently being held at the Caddo County Jail, according to online records. Neither has entered a plea, according to online records. Alysia Adams' next court date is listed as March 23, the records said. No future court date was listed for Ivon Adams. He is being held without bail. A bail of $500,000 is listed for Alysia Adams.
Authorities have not identified the child's body as belonging to Athena. The remains were sent to Oklahoma City for an autopsy, the Oklahoma Bureau of Investigation said last week.
