The search for four-year-old Athena Brownfield, who has been missing for nearly a week, is now considered a “recovery operation,” Oklahoma authorities said Monday.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said its agents, along with their partners from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), searched areas of Caddo County for the toddler’s remains.
Yvonne Adams and Alicia Adams were arrested in connection with the disappearance of Oklahoma toddler Athena Brownfield. (MCSO, NCMEC and OSBI)
Brownfield was reported missing on January 10, 2023, after a mail carrier found her five-year-old sister Alicia Adams outside the family’s home in Cyril, Oklahoma, without adult supervision. The postal carrier notified the police in Kiril, who began an investigation.
Brownfield’s caretaker, Yvonne Adams, 36, was arrested Thursday in Arizona on one count of child neglect. On Friday, Adams’ charges were upgraded to first-degree murder.
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Adams is being held in the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix pending extradition to Oklahoma, the OSBI said.
Authorities in Oklahoma earlier arrested Alicia Adams, 31, on two counts of child neglect, the bureau said in a statement late Thursday. Alicia Adams, who the OSBI said is married to Yvonne Adams, remained in the Caddo County Jail in Oklahoma on Friday.
The bureau did not release further details about the arrests. It’s unclear if Adams has an attorney available to comment on their behalf.
Athena Brownfield, 4, has been missing since at least Tuesday and authorities continue to search for her. (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation)
The girls were in the care of Alicia and Yvonne Adams, and Athena’s sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said.
Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she went missing.
Volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the search, which includes a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team and a review of surveillance video from the Cyril area.
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The city of Cyril has also suspended garbage collection service as investigators look for clues. The bureau said agents are following up on calls coming from Oklahoma and other states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital reporter covering crime, politics and more.
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