NC BLAKE & LONDON DEVEN: Missing from Fayetteville, NC - 2022 & 2019 - Age 15 & 22 - Reported missing 2024 *London Deceased*

Fayetteville police looking for teen who vanished years earlier

While conducting interviews in a separate police investigation, several members of Deven’s family said they have not seen him in several years.

www.cbs17.com

Fayetteville police looking for teen who vanished years earlier​

Fayetteville police are asking for the public’s help to find 17-year-old Blake Deven, who disappeared several years ago.

While conducting interviews in a separate police investigation, several members of Deven’s family said they had not seen him in several years.

Police said due to the unusual circumstances of his disappearance, the Fayetteville Police Department’s Homicide Unit, which also investigates missing and endangered persons, is leading the investigation.

Fayetteville police requested the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children create an age-progressed photo to better depict what Deven might look like today.

On Wednesday, the police department and the FBI searched three locations in Fayetteville as part of the investigation to find Deven.


MEDIA - BLAKE DEVEN: Missing from Fayetteville, NC - August 2022 - Age 15 - Reported missing 2024

 

[Summer_Breeze]

North Carolina police, FBI need public’s help to build timeline in case of missing Deven relatives

The Fayetteville police and the FBI are requesting the public’s assistance to build a timeline of exactly when and where 17-year-old Blake Deven and 27-year-old London Deven were last seen.

myfox8.com

by: Glyniss Wiggins
Posted: Apr 19, 2024 / 08:16 AM EDT
Updated: Apr 19, 2024 / 08:16 AM EDT

AYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — The Fayetteville Police Department and FBI are requesting the public’s assistance to build a timeline of exactly when and where two missing relatives were last seen.

Earlier this month, while investigating an unrelated matter, Fayetteville police discovered 17-year-old Blake Deven and 28-year-old London Deven had been missing for several years.

According to police, the Deven family moved to Fayetteville in 2015.

Police said in November 2016, they moved to the 1800 block of Eichelberger Drive where they lived until June 2019. The family who currently lives at the home are not related to this investigation and are fully cooperating, according to investigators.

The Deven family then moved to the 1400 block of Berridale Drive where they still currently live.

Near the end of March, Fayetteville police reported Blake was missing after relatives said they hadn’t seen him in several years. On April 4, police said they identified another missing relative, London Deven, was last seen in 2019 in Fayetteville.

During the investigation since then, police and FBI searched the Deven’s home on Berridale Drive.

Last Friday, Fayetteville police said that partial skeletal human remains were found during an investigation into the disappearance of the two relatives. They said the remains have been sent to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to be identified and cannot yet confirm who the remains belong to as identification could take several weeks or months.

Investigators are asking anyone who visited these addresses, delivered something, bought something, sold something repaired something or saw something to contact them. Anyone with information is asked to call the Fayetteville Police Department at 910-578-2697 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Missing persons case: Homeschool connection emerges for Blake and London Deven

Documents WRAL News obtained reveal "Deven Academy," a homeschool program, operating at the same Eichelberger Drive address where Fayetteville Police say the Deven family lived until June 2019.

www.wral.com

Posted 2:41 a.m. Apr 10 - Updated 11:56 p.m. Yesterday
By Chris Lovingood , WRAL anchor/reporter

In the search for two missing people, Blake Deven, 17, and London Deven, 27, Fayetteville police found partial human skeletal remains on April 10.

Investigators have not confirmed if the remains are connected to Blake Deven and London Deven.

Authorities sent the remains to the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification.

Fayetteville police said testing could take "weeks or months." Police also said testing does not always result in positive identification.

New development in the case​

In a surprising development Friday night, documents WRAL News obtained reveal "Deven Academy," a homeschool program, operating at the same Eichelberger Drive address where Fayetteville Police say the Deven family lived until June 2019.

This suggests Blake and London may have been homeschooled.

These documents also show the academy's establishment in 2007, followed by the enrollment of two new students in 2013.

Interestingly, that's the same year Blake Deven and another child, not London, were adopted by Avantae Deven.

Despite repeated attempts, WRAL News been unable to reach Avantae Deven since news of the children's disappearance broke.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Timeline of events in the Fayetteville case of two missing adopted siblings

The Fayetteville Police Department said Wednesday that they have not found the missing adopted relatives Blake and London Deven.

www.fayobserver.com

Timeline of events in the Fayetteville case of two missing adopted siblings​

As police continue their search for two Fayetteville siblings missing for years, officials have made a plea for information to formulate a timeline of Blake and London Deven in Fayetteville.

The Fayetteville Police Department announced in late March that the now-17-year-old Blake had been missing since 2022. Several days later, police revealed that his adopted sister, London Deven, 27, was missing and had not been seen since 2019.

Then authorities announced April 12 that skeletal human remains were found in the search for the two. The identity of the remains is pending results from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Police Chief Kemberle Braden has urged the public to report any interactions with the missing children or the Deven family to police.


While Cumberland County Schools says it has no record of London or Blake ever attending school here, records from the North Carolina Division of Non-Public Education show that a homeschool called Deven Academy was first licensed in Asheville in 2007.

That same year, the Deven Academy changed its address to the town of Marshall in Madison County. Then in 2009, the address was changed to the town of Leicester in Buncombe County and the following year the academy was registered at a second location in Leicester.

The next notation in the record is of Deven Academy's first registration in Fayetteville. On March 30, 2017, the address was changed to the family's former home here on Eichelberger Drive.

The academy is listed as a religious home school and in addition to numerous address has had six phone number changes since first registering in 2007, according to the records.

The record shows that the school closed Aug. 30, 2021, and reopened and then inactivated on the same day, Dec. 22, 2023. The last record notes it was reopened on Jan. 1, 2024 and had two students — a male in the eighth grade and a male in the 10th grade.

The Deven Academy is currently registered at the family's Berriedale Drive home.

Attempts to contact Avantae Deven have been unsuccessful.


— January-March 2011: Buncombe County court documents show that Avantae Emerald Deven filed a petition in January 2011 to adopt London Deven and was approved two months later.

— April-July 2013: Madison County court records show that Avantae Deven filed a petition in April 2013 to adopt Blake and the adoption was approved the following July.

— 2015: The Deven family moves to Fayetteville. Publicly available records indicate they moved to the area from the Asheville region.

— November 2016: The Deven family moves into 1834 Eichelberger Drive.

— June 2019: The Deven family moves into 1433 Berriedale Drive. This is also the same month and year that the Fayetteville Police Department incident report indicates London Deven was last seen.

— Jan. 19, 2024: Avantae Deven reports she last saw her adopted son Blake Deven, 17, at the Walmart on Ramsey Street. The case is recorded by the Fayetteville Police Department as a runaway.

— March 27, 2024: The Fayetteville Police Department announces Blake Deven is missing and that investigators searched three properties, including the family home on Berriedale Drive. It is not known what prompted the searches three months after police were notified Blake was missing.

— April 4, 2024: Police announce London is also missing. Officials said they learned of her disappearance while investigating the disappearance of Blake. According to the incident report released on April 4, 2024, London was last seen near Raeford Road and Revere Street on June 6, 2019.

— April 5, 2024: Police Chief Kemberlee Braden holds a news conference. He gives few details in the case but urges residents to contact law enforcement if they've ever had contact with or observed the Deven family. He said that in addition to the Berriedale Drive address, the previous home in which the family lived was also searched and its new residents were cooperating. He said the FBI was called in to assist in the investigation.

— April 9, 2024: Miranda Miller, the sister of Blake's biological father, Trevor Shuler, said that the last time she saw Blake was in 2011. Miller said she was unsuccessful in an attempt to get custody of Blake after the Department of Social Services got involved.

— April 12, 2024: The Fayetteville Police Department announced that information gathered in the hunt for the missing siblings led to the discovery of skeletal remains. The location and date of when the remains were found were not released and police declined to answer any questions. "At this time, investigators have not confirmed who the remains belong to, testing could take weeks or months and do not always result in a positive identification," a news release said.

— April 14, 2024: Police issue a news release repeating the request for help from the public and releasing the Eichelberger address.

"The Fayetteville Police Department and the FBI need the public’s assistance to build a timeline of exactly when and where 17-year-old Blake Deven and 27-year-old London Deven were last seen," the release said.

— April 16, 2024: Sherry McClelland tells The Fayetteville Observer that she is the biological mother of London Deven and hasn't seen her since the girl was 4 years old. McClelland posted a video the same day stating London's name at birth was Mariah Foster.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

911 call sheds new light in Fayetteville disappearance case of adopted siblings

WRAL News has new information Thursday in the search for Blake and London Deven, siblings who vanished from Fayetteville several years ago.

www.wral.com

911 call sheds new light in Fayetteville disappearance case of adopted siblings​

WRAL News obtained new information Thursday in the search for Blake and London Deven, siblings who vanished from Fayetteville several years ago.

A recording of the 911 call, shared with WRAL News by CityViewNC.com, was provided by the children's adoptive mother, Avantae Deven.

According to the recording, Avantae Deven contacted emergency services to report Blake missing and starts off by saying she needs to file a missing person report.

Avantae Deven: I need to file a missing person report. I was trying to call 911.
Avantae Deven: He told me he was going to a Buddhist retreat and he never came back.
Dispatcher: When did you last see him?
Avantae Deven: (struggles to recall) It was between Thanksgiving and Christmas...
Dispatcher: In 2023 or 2022?
Avantae Deven: Oh goodness gracious ... umm 2022.

At the end of the call, the dispatcher also asked Avantae Deven about the last location she saw Blake and she was unable to give an answer.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Blake Deven went to Buddhist retreat before 2022 disappearance, according to mom on 911 call

Newly released 911 calls shed light on what may have happened to 17-year-old Blake Deven.

abc11.com

Blake Deven went to Buddhist retreat before 2022 disappearance, according to mom on 911 call​

"He is generally religious. He used to go back and forth about a Buddhist retreat...but this time he never called back. My daughter did one once for 6 months, and she called, so I thought OK. He's really independent, strong and brave and bossy, so it's not really unlikely of his character," she said on the call.

The 911 operator asked her if she thought Deven was a runaway.

"I would say so, yes."

 

[GrandmaBear]

WTF. I dont believe a word of her **** and what kind of world allows just anyone to adopt and foster children with no checks these days?

I am going to bet the paternal aunt that tried to get custody was a better choice by far yet failed in the attempt. Just a hunch.

I also do NOT LIKE how they keep saying no positive ID may ever be made.

I don't know why nor will ever understand why peoplej aren't screaming in force at the sh*t that goes on these days.

Just came from the sex trafficking thread, first one I read this very late past midnight night/morn. I decided not to even get started on that one.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Mom of missing Fayetteville siblings Blake and London Deven accused of exploiting ailing mother

Cumberland County Department of Social Services asked for an emergency order to freeze asset and take over medical care decisions for the 95-year-old.

www.fayobserver.com

F.T. Norton
Fayetteville Observer
April 25, 2024

A Fayetteville woman who police say waited years before recently reporting two of her adopted children missing is accused in a civil court petition of financially exploiting her ailing mother.

The request for an emergency order of protection was filed by the Cumberland County Department of Social Services on behalf of 95-year-old Leonie Maxwell.

In its request, DSS states that Maxwell is unable to advocate for herself because she is on a ventilator in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after sustaining an anoxic brain injury in November.

The April 10 filing alleges that her daughter and caretaker, Avantae Deven, 61, had not responded since March 27 to calls from hospital staff concerning "necessary medical decisions" for Maxwell and that on March 30 when a welfare check was conducted at Deven's home, no one answered the door.

March 27 was the same day that the Fayetteville Police Department served three search warrants — including on Deven’s current and previous Fayetteville homes — in the hunt for her missing 17-year-old adopted son Blake Deven.

Police records show that Avantae Deven reported Blake as a runaway on Jan. 19. The record indicates he was last seen at the Ramsey Street Walmart.

<snip>

While the records focus mainly on Maxwell's rapidly declining health and her finances, the missing children are listed as one of the reasons an emergency order is required.

"FBI agents have been to (Maxwell's) hospital room to question her with regard to her daughter/current caregiver's children and their mysterious disappearance,” the record states.

Judge Toni King found on April 11 that the emergency order was warranted because there was "a substantial likelihood that respondent may suffer death or irreparable harm if emergency protective services are not provided."

DSS said in its filing that Maxwell is unable to communicate because of her condition, cannot consent to the protective services and that "no other person is able or willing to arrange for protective services."

In an April 15 order continuing the first court date set for the following day, District Judge Cull Jordan III stated that Avantae Deven could still visit her mother in the hospital but was not in control of Maxwell's care.

"Avantae Deven shall give no directives or instructions to medical personnel treating respondent and shall ... treat all medical personnel with dignity and respect at all times," the continuance order states. "In the event Ms. Deven causes any disruptions at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, hospital staff may terminate Ms. Deven's visit with respondent and remove her from the premises."'

In addition to the request by DSS to control Maxwell's medical care, District Court Judge Toni King ordered that Maxwell's assets — noted to be more than $15,000 — be frozen and directed Wells Fargo to turn over financial records for February through April.

"The order was sought because of the information and belief that you were being financially exploited by your caretaker," according to a notice intended to inform Maxwell of the court's order.

A hearing that had been set in the matter for Wednesday was continued to next month.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Mom of missing Fayetteville siblings Blake and London Deven accused of exploiting ailing mother

Cumberland County Department of Social Services asked for an emergency order to freeze asset and take over medical care decisions for the 95-year-old.

www.fayobserver.com

F.T. Norton
Fayetteville Observer
April 25, 2024

A Fayetteville woman who police say waited years before recently reporting two of her adopted children missing is accused in a civil court petition of financially exploiting her ailing mother.

The request for an emergency order of protection was filed by the Cumberland County Department of Social Services on behalf of 95-year-old Leonie Maxwell.

In its request, DSS states that Maxwell is unable to advocate for herself because she is on a ventilator in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center after sustaining an anoxic brain injury in November.

The April 10 filing alleges that her daughter and caretaker, Avantae Deven, 61, had not responded since March 27 to calls from hospital staff concerning "necessary medical decisions" for Maxwell and that on March 30 when a welfare check was conducted at Deven's home, no one answered the door.

March 27 was the same day that the Fayetteville Police Department served three search warrants — including on Deven’s current and previous Fayetteville homes — in the hunt for her missing 17-year-old adopted son Blake Deven.

Police records show that Avantae Deven reported Blake as a runaway on Jan. 19. The record indicates he was last seen at the Ramsey Street Walmart.

<snip>

While the records focus mainly on Maxwell's rapidly declining health and her finances, the missing children are listed as one of the reasons an emergency order is required.

"FBI agents have been to (Maxwell's) hospital room to question her with regard to her daughter/current caregiver's children and their mysterious disappearance,” the record states.

Judge Toni King found on April 11 that the emergency order was warranted because there was "a substantial likelihood that respondent may suffer death or irreparable harm if emergency protective services are not provided."

DSS said in its filing that Maxwell is unable to communicate because of her condition, cannot consent to the protective services and that "no other person is able or willing to arrange for protective services."

In an April 15 order continuing the first court date set for the following day, District Judge Cull Jordan III stated that Avantae Deven could still visit her mother in the hospital but was not in control of Maxwell's care.

"Avantae Deven shall give no directives or instructions to medical personnel treating respondent and shall ... treat all medical personnel with dignity and respect at all times," the continuance order states. "In the event Ms. Deven causes any disruptions at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, hospital staff may terminate Ms. Deven's visit with respondent and remove her from the premises."'

In addition to the request by DSS to control Maxwell's medical care, District Court Judge Toni King ordered that Maxwell's assets — noted to be more than $15,000 — be frozen and directed Wells Fargo to turn over financial records for February through April.

"The order was sought because of the information and belief that you were being financially exploited by your caretaker," according to a notice intended to inform Maxwell of the court's order.

A hearing that had been set in the matter for Wednesday was continued to next month.

This woman is clearly one evil piece of work!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Emergency protection order surfaces as Deven family investigation continues

A district court judge has granted an emergency protection order and an order to freeze financial assets belonging to Leonie Maxwell, the 95-year-old mother of Avantae Deven.

abc11.com

Emergency protection order surfaces as Deven family investigation continues​

The case of missing relatives Blake Deven and London Deven continues to evolve.

Now, during the investigation, Social Services has filed a protection order for another member of the Deven family.

A district court judge has granted an emergency protection order and an order to freeze financial assets belonging to Leonie Maxwell, the 95-year-old mother of Avantae Deven.

Court documents show Maxwell lived with her daughter at their home on Berriedale Drive. That's the same home that the FBI agents and Fayetteville police investigators have searched at least twice amid their investigations into Blake's and London's disappearances.

Filed on April 10, the protection order says Maxwell has been nonverbal since she suffered a brain injury last November. Court records say she is now on a ventilator at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center. But when the order was issued, it said Avantae Deven, her mother's caretaker, hadn't responded to calls from hospital staffers regarding Maxwell's care since March.

In light of that, the judge revoked Deven's ability to oversee her mother's medical care and put it in the hands of the Cumberland County Department of Social Services. However, it's unclear whether the freeze on Maxwell's assets is still in effect.

These revelations came to the surface after police and the FBI said earlier this month that they are working to identify skeletal remains that they found while searching for Blake and London.

ABC11 reached out to Avantae Deven for comment, but she has not responded. Meanwhile, the next court appearance for Maxwell's protection order is scheduled for May 9.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I'll just repeat this woman is one evil piece of work it appears. Unless all are lies and she is being railroaded...

I tend to not think so thus far...

EVIL.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Adoptive mother of missing Fayetteville siblings loses battle to keep control of mom's care

The hearing to control medical care for Leonie Maxwell took place Thursday. Her grandchildren, Blake and London, have been missing for years, police say.

www.fayobserver.com

Joseph Pierre F.T. Norton
Fayetteville Observer
May 11, 2024

Despite the impassioned pleas of Leonie Maxwell's daughter, Avantae Deven, a judge on Thursday granted an emergency petition giving the Cumberland County Department of Social Services control over medical decisions for the gravely ill 95-year-old whose two adopted grandchildren have been missing for years

"She's in a fragile state," Judge Cull Jordan said in granting the DSS motion at the end of a mostly closed civil court hearing."A missed phone call could mean life or death. The court cannot take that chance"

The judge's ruling followed a mostly closed District Court hearing at which Deven and her attorney were present, as well as counsel for DSS and a guardian ad litem to advocate for Maxwell's best interests.

<snip>

Maxwell's Custody Hearing​

Among the reasons for asking the court to issue the emergency order, DSS stated in its motion that there had been discussions of whether Maxwell was in need a DNR, also known as a "do not resuscitate" order. Such an order, under North Carolina law, allows a patient or patient representative the "right to withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other life‑prolonging measures to avoid loss of dignity and unnecessary pain and suffering."

The motion also notes the need for an emergency order exists because "FBI agents have been to (Maxwell's) hospital room to question her with regard to her daughter/current caregiver's children and their mysterious disappearance."

The Department of Social Services stated in the motion that Cape Fear Valley Medical Center had been unable to reach Deven to discuss "necessary medical decisions" for her mother who was on a ventilator and feeding tube in the hospital intensive care unit after suffering a stroke and resulting brain injury in November.

While the evidence presented Thursday happened while the courtroom was closed to the public, the judge reopened the court for final argument and recounted the facts before handing down his decision giving DSS control.

Jordan said the evidence showed that Maxwell was hospitalized after her stroke and was discharged to her daughter's home in February. Eleven days later, Maxwell was readmitted to the hospital and put into the ICU with pressure wounds, swelling, dehydration and sepsis from a urinary tract infection. DSS has said that Maxwell was nonresponsive and unable to communicate.

Jordan said the hospital had tried repeatedly to contact Deven concerning her mother's care but was unsuccessful.

The judge noted that Deven said the hospital had difficulty reaching her because she was forced to stay at a hotel for days as police conducted at least four searches at her Berriedale Drive home. She was also forced to turn over her cellphones, the judge said. He said Deven claimed that her mother's grave condition was the fault of an in-home healthcare nurse who fell asleep on shift.

Deven, who was animated throughout the ruling, expressed displeasure with the judge's decision and tried to persuade him to reconsider.

"I am 100% available right now. I will be (at the hospital) every day," she told Jordan. "I will have my phone on my chest."

"I've done everything. I'm very competent to take care of my mother."

But Jordan was unswayed, noting that the investigation into the missing family members would take away from Deven's ability to make decisions for her mother.

 

[GrandmaBear]

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/cumberland-county-news/blake-devens-biological-mom-wants-answers-amid-missing-persons-investigation-in-fayetteville/

Blake Deven’s biological mom wants answers amid missing persons investigation in Fayetteville​

The mother of 18-year-old Blake Deven drove five hours from Marshall to Fayetteville on Thursday seeking answers on her missing son.

“I want answers for my child. I’m going to Cumberland County Department of Social Services next,” Felicia Chandler said.

She’s the biological mother of Blake, who she named Trenton Shuler at birth. He hasn’t been seen in years. Chandler told us Avantae Deven adopted three of her sons, including Blake. The adopted mom called 911 earlier this year to report Blake missing.

“No mother, no parent, should ever have to have law enforcement come to you and tell you that your child is missing,” Felicia Chandler said.

According to Fayetteville police, Blake has been missing since 2022 and his sister London has been missing since 2019. It led investigators to searching several homes connected to the Deven family.

“And you’re supposed to trust these people, to put them somewhere safe. And to pray and hope they are safe and to find out this,” Chandler said.

“Just no telling really about what all was going on in that home,” she also said.

Chandler said partial skeletal remains found in connection to this case are in backlog at the state medical examiner’s office. She said she’s trying to keep the faith that Blake is still alive.

CBS 17 has made multiple attempts to talk with Avantae Deven. Our knocks on her door go unanswered. Fayetteville Police haven’t released any new details on this case.

“But I’m not going to give up,” Chandler said in tears.

“I want to start a petition. I want to start getting not only answers about accountability as well as change, to make sure this never happens again to anybody, to any child, to any family,” she also said.

 

[GrandmaBear]

This is very convoluted and hard to follow. So three of her sons were adopted by this woman and yet he had a sister London who is not one of this woman's children yet all ended up with this woman? And one son and his sister who is not hers are missing? The other two are okay? And say what?\

Maybe I should look back but is London related to Blake at all or it is just an adopted relationship? Otherwise how did all these children end up with this woman and why didn't their own parents have them?

Sounds very likely to me as if she also abused her own mother.

Yet goes into court all animated and angry.

She sounds like one evil piece of work. Just an opinion of what is really hard to follow.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/cumberland-county-news/heavy-police-law-enforcement-presence-at-fayetteville-home-of-adoptive-mom-of-blake-and-london-deven/

by: Glyniss Wiggins, Chloe Rafferty, Justin Moore, Judith Retana
Posted: Jun 26, 2024 / 12:02 PM EDT
Updated: Jun 26, 2024 / 04:15 PM EDT

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — The adoptive mother of Blake and London Deven was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the disappearance of the two siblings, according to the Fayetteville police. Detectives believe the siblings died of starvation and neglect.

Arrest records show Avantae Deven is facing the following charges:

• First-degree murder (2)
• Kidnapping
• Negligent child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury
• Intentional child abuse, inflicting serious bodily injury
• Destroying body/remains concealing unnatural death (2)

Neighbors told a CBS 17 crew on scene that officers and law enforcement showed up at the home of Avantae Deven, the adoptive mother of two missing Fayetteville siblings around 9:30 Wednesday morning.

<snip>

In a press conference, Senior Sergeant Mickey Locklear with FPD said the siblings lived in “inhumane conditions”. Locklear said Avantae often kept her children in dark, small rooms with little or food. He reported Avantae often forced the children in her home to “earn nourishment” by writing apologies for their behavior.

During the investigation, investigators including FBI agents searched Avantae’s home to get answers on the missing siblings. Remains of the siblings were found in two different homes. FPD reported both siblings were dismembered. Police believe Avantae forced someone else in the home to help in the dismemberment of Blake.

Partial human remains belonging to two people were found in a burn barrel, according to police. A private lab confirmed that one set of the remains belongs to London Deven. Testing on the second set of human remains, believed to belong to Blake Deven, is ongoing.

FPD said Blake and London were among five unrelated children adopted by Avantae.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Five unrelated children adopted. Apparently as we have found the process doesn't work as it did years ago and no one cares to do it right, vet it right, follow it up. How many more do we have to her of before people raise HE77? But then some of us do say so but the CA West case is another one, where is the coming down on the agenices who PROFIT over this sh*t and the sh*t passed by the ___________ when in office that created such an almost payday to just do this and keep getting a bigger payout but you must adopt more out every year to get that money...

And if you don't know what I'm talking about then you are probably confused as to why this goes on. And STILL turn a blind eye and stay silent.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

THE KIRBY FILE: Blake and London Deven, detective says, died of mental and physical abuse - CityView NC

All of us were hoping a missing teenager and an older family member safely found would be in this community mystery.

www.cityviewnc.com

THE KIRBY FILE: Blake and London Deven, detective says, died of mental and physical abuse​

All of us were hoping a missing teenager and an older family member safely found would be in this community mystery.

Police, after countless interviews and searching, had heard enough from Avantae Deven, arresting the 63-year-old on Wednesday for the murders of her adopted son and daughter.

“Fayetteville detectives and FBI agents have followed hundreds of leads and conducted dozens of interviews,” Kemberle Braden, the city police chief, said at an afternoon media conference that day. “Our investigation has led us to evidence that both Blake and London are currently deceased.”


“In November of 2023, officers of the Fayetteville Police Department responded to a call at the Deven home on Berriedale Drive for a mental health crisis,” Locklear said about one of five adopted children living in the home. “Officers conducted or officers contacted the Cumberland County Department of Social Services, who quickly responded… The victim that was going through the mental health crisis told authorities that he had not seen his brother, Blake, in five years and that the last time he had seen him he had a broken arm and that he’s now dead.”

Avantae Deven, according to Locklear, adopted five children — three boys biologically related and two girls unrelated to one another — from three North Carolina counties. They moved to Fayetteville in 2015, according to published reports, and resided on Eichelberger Drive near Bonnie Doone until later moving to west Fayetteville.

Locklear said the children grew up in “appalling conditions” in the Eichelberger and Berriedale homes “in small rooms in complete darkness.”

Locklear’s face grew grim.

Telling the story of the investigation for him obviously was painful and personal as the lead detective.

“At times they were given little food,” he said. “They were given little or no food … It is alleged some of the children were also beaten to the point of needing medical care, but only natural cures like honey were given. The investigation uncovered Blake likely passed away while the Deven family lived at the Eichelberger Drive home. We believe he was mentally abused, he was physically starved and his body could no longer take the inhumane treatment.”

The detective said Avantae Deven devised a plan to hide the boy’s body, coercing another family member to help dismember Blake Deven and incinerate his remains. A forensic search of a previous residence, Locklear said, turned up evidence that a crime lab confirmed evidence of “isolation, torture and starvation.”

London Deven also was a victim of abuse, Locklear said, at the Berriedale Drive home.

“She is believed to have died in the same painful way, in the same painful callous manner, that Blake died … ” Locklear said. “The last confirmed independent sighting of London was in 2019. Even though London was an adult, she had special needs and depended on Avantae to care for her.”

Avantae Deven, police say, never reported London Deven as missing.

Remains discovered in a metal burn barrel in Autryville, police say, were tested by a private crime lab confirming London Deven’s DNA. Testing on a second set of remains is ongoing.


This is a sad story of two young and innocent lives lost allegedly at the hands of the mother who adopted them. They’ll never know another day of watching the thrill of a snowfall or the fireworks on the Fourth of July or blowing out candles on a birthday cake or opening gifts under the tree on a Christmas morning.

“I know that everyone in our community has more questions than answers right now,” Braden said in April about Blake Deven and London Deven.

We still have questions and wonder why the rhyme and reason of it all. What we know for sure is Blake Deven and London Deven didn’t deserve to suffer as Locklear described Wednesday how police say they did, and how they died.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Mom accused of murdering 2 of her 5 adopted kids enlisted another to dismember them: report

A North Carolina mom accused of killing two of her five adopted kids allegedly got another one of her children to dismember the bodies — and threatened to blame them for the murders if they spoke o…

nypost.com

Isabel Keane
Published July 8, 2024, 2:12 p.m. ET

A North Carolina mom accused of killing two of her five adopted kids allegedly got another one of her children to dismember the bodies — and threatened to blame them for the murders if they spoke out, according to disturbing court records.

<snip>

Instead, she’d actually forced one of Blake’s siblings to purchase tools from a store to dismember his body, before she incinerated the remains in a burn barrel in their backyard, according to the affidavit.

Deven allegedly then forced the same child to help cover up London’s death and threatened all of her kids against ever speaking out, the affidavit said.

“If this ever gets found out, you need to take the blame because I will get the death penalty and because of your age you won’t get in trouble if you take the blame,” she warned them, according to the warrant.

Investigators later uncovered surveillance video of Deven with her remaining adopted children purchasing a red cooler at a Walmart, which officials said was where London’s remains were found.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Blake, London Deven murder case leads to state investigation of social services in Cumberland Co.

The children's adoptive mother Avantae Deven is facing murder and abuse charges.

abc11.com

Blake, London Deven murder case leads to state investigation of social services in Cumberland Co.​

A state investigation is underway connected to the death of Blake and London Deven in Fayetteville.

Their adoptive mother, Avantae Deven was charged in June with their murders.

Fayetteville police say the siblings disappeared years ago and were not reported missing until another adopted child brought it to officers' attention after they responded to a crisis call in November 2023.

A police investigation confirmed London's death after remains found in a barrel were identified as hers. The other remains in the same barrel are still being tested, but police say they're the remains of Blake Deven.

According to charging documents, Avantae made up stories about the whereabouts of missing children and went as far as having a family friend pose as Blake during a Cumberland County social services visit.

On Tuesday, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) said it will conduct an assessment of services provided to the Deven's five adopted children.

All have gone on record with police and social services about the horrific abuse they underwent. Police said forensics gathered from the two houses they lived corroborated their stories, including what happened to Blake and London.

NCDHHS said agents will also be looking into the process and decision to select Deven as an adoptive parent.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Well I would hope so but no one at the agency will be criminally charged and not a soul thrown under the bus. Not that such SHOULD NOT OCCUR because it SHOULD.