The caregiver for missing Oklahoma toddler Athena Brownfield was arrested yesterday on suspicion of child neglect, as the search for the child continued.
Athena, four, has been missing since at least Tuesday, when a postal worker discovered her older, five-year-old sister wandering around outside alone near their home in Cyril, Oklahoma.
Alysia Adams, 30, and her husband are in charge of the girls.
Trash collection was suspended in Cyril on Thursday as police searched for ‘clues,’ and a truck from the Adams’ home was towed on Thursday night following the caregiver’s arrest.
Neighbors told local outlet KFOR that they hadn’t seen Alysia since last Thursday.
They noticed a child’s trike in the middle of the road, which they said they found strange, but saw no sign of either Athena or her sister.
On Thursday, Adams was booked into county jail on charges of child neglect.
There is still no sign of Athena. Adams’ husband has not been arrested.
It remains unclear why the girls were taken into Adams’ care, of if there were any other children living in the home.
Authorities said yesterday that part of the police investigation is determining where Athena’s biological parents are and whether they had anything to do with her disappearance.
‘Right now, our top priority is to find her, and determining who is to blame will come later.
‘But we need to find this little girl,’ said Brook Arbeitman, an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson.
When Athena’s five-year-old sister was discovered, she did not require medical attention.
She is now in the state’s custody.
The postal worker told police that he quickly realized the child wasn’t where she was supposed to be.
Authorities launched an investigation after he reported finding her and determined she was missing.
It’s unclear if Adams or her husband were in the home at the time.
source:nsemwokrom.com
