4-year-old girl reported missing after postal carrier finds sister wandering alone: Police - ABC News

Oklahoma constabulary person arrested the caretaker of a 4-year-old miss who was reported missing aft a postal bearer recovered her sister wandering unsocial extracurricular connected Tuesday, authorities said.

Local authorities began searching for Athena Brownfield Tuesday afternoon, erstwhile the postal idiosyncratic discovered her 5-year-old sister adjacent the children's location successful Cyril and notified police, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, which is besides progressive successful the search.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol released this photograph of missing Athena Brownfield.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol

Alysia Adams, 31, was arrested Thursday day connected 2 counts of kid neglect, the bureau said. The 2 sisters were reportedly successful the attraction of Adams and her hubby erstwhile the 5-year-old was recovered alone, constabulary said.

Meanwhile, the hunt for Athena continues.

"The probe into her whereabouts is progressive and ongoing," the bureau said Thursday.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol connected Wednesday issued a missing and endangered idiosyncratic alert to radical successful a 15-mile radius of Cyril, located astir 70 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.

Law enforcement is moving to enactment unneurotic an nonstop timeline of erstwhile Athena was past seen, according to Brook Arbeitman, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

The determination of the parents is "part of the ongoing investigation," Arbeitman told reporters Wednesday.

"Right present our apical precedence is locating her and sorting retired who's liable volition travel next," Arbeitman said. "But we request to find this small girl."

Arbeitman said whether the kid is simply a unfortunate of carnal harm is "yet to beryllium determined," though she is considered successful information astatine this time.

"She’s a small kid and she's missing, and she's connected her ain successful the elements," Arbeitman said.

Her sister did not necessitate immoderate aesculapian attraction and presently is successful protective custody with the state, Arbeitman said.

Authorities hunt for missing 4-year-old Athena Brownfield, of Cyril, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and soldiers from Fort Sill are among those assisting successful the search, Arbeitman said. State troopers were conducting sonar searches of bodies of h2o successful and astir Cyril connected Wednesday. Search dogs from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and drones from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs person besides been employed successful the search.

Volunteers besides helped behaviour a grid search, looking successful vacant houses and section waterways, constabulary said.

Arbeitman said authorities are uncovering items successful municipality that "could beryllium relevant" and adjuvant to the case, though did not elaborate.

"We are uncovering things that we anticipation mightiness springiness america clues," she said.

Law enforcement is encouraging residents and businesses to stock immoderate surveillance footage they whitethorn have, including doorbell cameras, arsenic good arsenic to hunt their properties.

Athena is described by authorities arsenic being 3 feet gangly and 45 pounds with airy brownish hairsbreadth and bluish eyes. She is believed to person been precocious wearing a butterfly hoodie.

Anyone with accusation connected her whereabouts is asked to interaction the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations astatine 800-522-8017 oregon tips@osbi.ok.gov.