Athena Brownfield was allegedly beaten to death on Christmas by one of her caregivers and buried near a fence where they used to live, newly-released court documents revealed on Tuesday.
The week-long search for the four-year-old Oklahoma girl became a 'recovery operation' to find her remains after both her caregivers were arrested last week.
Ivon Adams, 36, and his estranged wife Alysia Adams, 31, had been caring for Athena and her sister Adina, 5, for two years at their home in Cyril, Oklahoma.
Now, documents have revealed that Ivon allegedly laid the child on the ground and hit her three times. She didn't move after that, according to the documents.
Alysia, who is related to the girls, reportedly told OSBI investigators that on Christmas around midnight, Ivon beat Athena to death at their Cyril home and then drove to Rush Springs where he buried her body near a fence line on their old property. Her remains have not yet been found.
The alarm was raised on January 10 after a postal carrier found Athena's older sister Adina wandering alone outside near their home in Cyril.
Ivon Adams, 36, (left) allegedly beat Athena to death and buried her body, according to his estranged wife Alysia Adams, 31, (right) who told investigators it happened on Christmas
The Oklahoma Bureau of Investigations continues to search for the remains of Athena Brownfield, 4, who was reported missing on January 10, but was allegedly killed on Christmas
When investigators interviewed Alysia on January 12, she revealed that Ivon beat Athena to death around midnight on Christmas, the court documents revealed, according to KSWO.
She said that Ivon beat the child and held her up by her arms. She was not moving and her eyes were barely open. He then laid her on the ground and punched her at least three more times in the chest.
Ivon then left the house on West Nebraska Avenue with her body around 1 a.m. on December 26.
When Ivon returned home, he allegedly told Alysia that he buried Athena near a fence line that was next to their old residence in Rush Springs, Oklahoma, court documents revealed. He added that he placed a large broken branch over the grave.
Phone records reportedly showed Ivon leaving the home and traveling to Rush Springs around 4:15 a.m.
Ivon is facing one count of first-degree murder and one count of child neglect and Alysia is facing two counts of child neglect.
He was was arrested on Thursday in Arizona and will be extradited back to Oklahoma to face these charges. Alysia, who is related to the sisters, was arrested in Oklahoma on the same day.
It was also claimed in the court documents that Ivon and Alysia never took the girls to the doctor for checkups or enroll them in school.
Athena's remains have still not been found.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol were seen searching for Athena in a body of water near her home
The child vanished from this house in Cyril, Oklahoma, a small city 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City, on January 10
In a statement this week, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said: 'Special Agents... along with our partners at the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), have been searching areas of Caddo County for the toddler's remains.'
The agency asked the the public not to help in the search, saying that they could end up trespassing or contaminating potential evidence.
The sisters' biological parents - who have not been named - have been interviewed by authorities and are cooperating with the investigation, the OSBI said. Athena's sister has been taken into protective custody.
Volunteers and multiple law enforcement agencies have been involved in the search, which included a helicopter, boats, all-terrain vehicles, a specially trained ground team, and a review of surveillance video from around Cyril.
Athena is shown with her older sister Adina, who was found last Tuesday wandering around outside the home the girls had been living in
While authorities have said Ivon and Alysia are married, the pair appear to have split. They have four biological children of their own
Athena's grandmother Penny Brownfield said the family is trying to remain hopeful
The city of Cyril has also suspended trash service as investigators search for clues.
The bureau said agents were following up on tips coming from Oklahoma and other states.
Jail records do not list attorneys for either who could comment on the accusations against them.
While authorities have revealed that the pair are married, it appears they have since split, with Alysia seen spending a romantic weekend away with her boyfriend just days after Athena went missing.
The postal worker who found Athena's sister said she checked the home and no one appeared to be there.
Adina is said to have told the worker that she was hungry, and that she couldn't find Athena - who is described as being 'very shy'.
Over the weekend of January 7 and 8, Alysia, who had guardianship of the sisters, was seen enjoying a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with her new boyfriend, Blayden Davis.
Over the weekend of Jan 7 and 8, Alysia - who had guardianship of the sisters with her estranged husband Ivon - enjoyed a trip to the movies and a meal over an hour away in Oklahoma City with her new boyfriend, Blayden Davis
Alysia calls herself a 'beauty influencer'. She regularly uploads videos to TikTok but the kids are never shown
Alysia regularly shares videos of herself rapping on TikTok, singing along to the N-word and making joke clips about her life as a busy mother.
She has four children of her own who regularly feature on her Instagram account, but Athena and Adina were never shown. It remains unclear how the girls ended up in her care.
The children's paternal grandmother, Penny Brownfield, is in Cyril, and joined the search for her missing grandchild.
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