Death penalty sought for Athena Brownfield’s caretaker

ANADARKO — The Caddo County District Attorney is seeking the death penalty for a Cyril woman accused in the death of Athena Brownfield.

On Wednesday, District Attorney Jason Hicks filed the bill of particulars in Caddo County District Court regarding the punishment sought for Alysia Adams, 31. She is charged with first-degree murder and child neglect for the death of 4-year-old Athena.

In the particulars, the punishment is fitting if Adams is convicted that she “knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person” and that the girl’s death was “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.”

The case began when Athena’s then-5-year-old sister was discovered by a postal carrier on Jan. 10, 2023. She had been left alone at the Adams’ Cyril home when Ivon Adams took their biological children to Arizona and, according to her social media posts from that time, Alysia Adams was in Oklahoma City with another man.

Athena and her sister were left in the care of the Adamses a year prior by their biological mother who’d claimed she was suffering mental health issues, investigators said.

Police didn’t know Athena was missing until speaking with Alysia Adams. A weeklong search was conducted to find the missing girl. Her remains were found on property near Rush Springs seven days later.

Alysia Adams told investigators her husband, Ivon, had beaten the girl to death the night of Christmas 2022 at their home in Cyril. She said he buried her on the land outside of Rush Springs early the next morning, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. The two are being tried jointly.

After waiving their preliminary hearing in December 2023, charges were amended against Alysia Adams from child neglect to first-degree or second-degree murder as well as a single charge of child neglect, and a charge of obstructing officers.

Ivon Neil Adams III, 38, was originally charged with first-degree murder. His charge was amended to second-degree murder and he received an additional charge of the unlawful removal of a dead body.

The couple is scheduled for formal arraignment at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 21, records indicate.

Alysia Adams is now held at the Grady County jail following allegations she had an inappropriate relationship with a jailer at the Caddo County jail. The jailer was terminated and she was moved to the neighboring county.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation continues to investigate the allegations.