A 4-year-old Oklahoma girl was reported missing and two people have been arrested, including one in Arizona, after a postal carrier found the girl's 5-year-old sister wandering alone outside, authorities said.
Alysia Adams, 31, was arrested at the Grady County Sheriff's Office and booked into jail in Caddo County on two counts of child neglect, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement late Thursday.
The arrest is related to the search for Athena Brownfield, who was reported missing Tuesday in Cyril, about 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, the bureau said.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation confirmed Friday that a second person, Ivon Adams, was taken into custody in Arizona and is in a Maricopa County jail.
Phoenix police confirmed Adams was arrested Thursday near 67th Avenue and Camelback Road on outstanding warrants.
Court paperwork shows Adams had a warrant for 1st-degree murder and child neglect.
What we don't know is how that warrant connects or doesn't connect to this case as searchers continue to look for little Athena.
Back on Tuesday, the girl's five-year-old sister was found wandering alone near their home, but Athena hasn't been located.
Meantime, search efforts are happening on the ground, in the sky, and even on horseback.
“Until there’s evidence one way or the other, we’re pursuing this like she’s out there and she’s missing,” said Brook Arbeitman.
Brook Arbeitman with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) says the search for Athena has really brought the community together.
"This little girl has had a big impact on a lot of people. A lot of people care about her. Care about her sister, and we just are not going to quit until we find her,” Arbeitman told ABC15.
A postal carrier found Athena’s sister outside Adams' home Monday afternoon and alerted Cyril police. Authorities determined Athena was missing. The girls had been in the care of Adams and her husband, and Athena's sister was taken into protective custody, the bureau said Wednesday.
The bureau released no additional information about Adams' arrest, and it was not immediately known if she had an attorney who could comment on her behalf.
Authorities said they believe Athena was wearing a hoodie with a butterfly design when she disappeared.
The bureau said it was working with other law enforcement agencies and volunteers in the search, which included a helicopter and a specially trained ground team, as well as a review of surveillance video from around Cyril. It said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.
