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

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/cumberland-county-news/heartfelt-memorial-grows-in-fayetteville-for-slain-siblings-blake-london-deven/

Heartfelt memorial grows in Fayetteville for slain siblings Blake, London Deven​

Outside of the Deven home on Berridale Drive in Fayetteville, neighbors put up flowers and crosses to remember two children at the center of a homicide investigation.

A Fayetteville woman accused of killing and dismembering two of her adoptive children was set to face a judge on Wednesday. The hearing was continued until August.

There are two brightly colored crosses, bearing the names Trenton and Moriah, Blake and London’s original names, with bouquets of flowers on either side.

Blake and London are believed to have been killed by their adoptive mother, Avantae Deven. While family members and neighbors wait for answers to come from court proceedings, they are also taking time to honor the precious lives lost. As of Friday morning, this is a look at how that memorial has grown.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Ex-husband of accused murderer Avantae Deven says hidden lockbox with multiple IDs made him leave her

Tyson Alvarez, ex-husband of Avantae Deven, who is charged with murdering her two adopted children, recalled his shock at hearing about the charges. He said he saw a lockbox containing multiple identifications with Deven's picture using different names.

www.wral.com

Ex-husband of accused murderer Avantae Deven says hidden lockbox with multiple IDs made him leave her​

Tyson Alvarez recalled what it was like to hear his ex-wife was charged with murder.

Alvarez was married from 1996 - 2006 to Avantae Deven, the Fayetteville woman charged with murdering her two adopted children.

“To hear this about her being involved in a murder, it’s shocking,” Alvarez said.


Alvarez and Avantae Deven got married in 1996 in Clark County, Nevada, at a Las Vegas wedding. Alvarez said during a move to Montana, he saw something that made him reconsider what he knew about his wife.

“I saw there was a lockbox that was about to be put behind Sheetrock,” Alvarez said. “I open it up and see multiple identifications from birth certificates … three birth certificates, three drivers’ licenses and three Social Security cards [with] three different names.”

Alvarez said he saw Avantae Deven's picture on different IDs under three different names. He said it was shocking and he wasn’t sure what to believe.

“That's what got me after years of not telling me the truth, not being forward, or telling me anything form my past,” Alvarez said. “I walked out the door with the clothes on my back.”

Alvarez left Avantae Deven years before she adopted her children in North Carolina. Alvarez said she was always worried about sharing information and avoided having her photo taken. Alvarez said he felt like she was lying him.

WRAL Investigates also spoke with Alvarez’s half sister, Tifanie Kreft, who lived with the couple in 2000 in Las Vegas.

Kreft accused Avantae Deven of beating her, withholding food and forcing her to dress and pose in a certain way to deceive her family into thinking she was OK.

Alvarez strongly denies ever abusing his sister but said it's possible it was happening and he just wasn't aware of it.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The above makes no sense at all. Why would she have information about HIS past and withhold it from him? Was he adopted too by her before marrying her or is this just a language/reporting error?

And someone is lying between he and the half sister. And is he sure there were three BIRTH certificates as the other things could be explained by maiden name and marriages. Not saying it isn't true but who can tell? And how did he open a lockbox anyhow if he knew nothing of it?

Were they BUILDING a home that it was about to go behind sheetrock? And where the answer on whether it did go behindi sheetrock and did he ask her about it? Etc.

She's certainly bad news or at least is an accused murderer but not sure I buy this story. I definitely don't without more info. And this was long before she murdered them so wondering what the need is for different ID and what else she was up to if this indeed is true.

Does he recall the names and did he write them down at the time and tell cops? Did he give them to LE now to see if there were other adoptions, crimes, etc. committed by this woman under a different name and so forth. Any fraud. And so on.

Where did she have it hidden at in their first home that he never saw it? Did she have to bust down sheetrock to get it and move it to their next home?

I don't know that I even consider this news unless there's more to the facts of it than this nothing bit of just a one part claim basically with no further info or answers as to if it is truthful or not.

And he denies ever abusing his half sister and who knows the truth on that one either.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Public's help wanted in adoptive mother's murder case: 'Trying to figure out who these people are'

Avantae Deven had nine known aliases, according to Fayetteville Police.

abc11.com

Public's help wanted in adoptive mother's murder case: 'Trying to figure out who these people are'​

The Fayetteville Police Department sat down to share their latest developments in the Avantae Deven case, and to ask for the public's help, in an interview you'll only see on ABC11.

Deven is accused of murdering and abusing two of her adoptive children before trying to conceal their bodies.

Police say they're particularly looking for the burn pit they believe Deven last used at her home on Berridale Drive. Police accuse her of using it to incinerate body parts before trying to conceal them at another location--and police say finding it could lead to their next breakthrough.

"The start of this case, we were already on on the back foot," says the lead detective on the case, Sarah Shirey. "You know, we didn't know anything about these children or this family until the police department becomes involved. And by then, we were already five years behind the eight ball. So we're trying to play catch up and figure out who these people are, who they associate with. And that's been our hardest thing. They don't really associate with anybody. They don't really have the traditional friends, the church groups, you know, the sports teams, things like that."

The Fayetteville Police Department says Blake and London Deven --the two children they say were killed by their adoptive mother Avantae Deven - haven't been seen since 2017 and 2019, respectively. Plus, they say the Devens were intensely reclusive.

One thing police say they specifically want to know more about is the burn pit they say Deven used at her Berridale Drive home to allegedly incinerate body parts.

"With the Berridale Drive burn pit, we'd be able to get some trace evidence that would corroborate some of our testimonial evidence that we have."

Police are also drawing more awareness to these nine aliases they know she used over the years.

They're also releasing a new photo of Deven from the '90s when she was going by the names "Michelle Spiegel" and "Prentiss Adams."

"If they know her as, say, Kim Nelson, you know, and not as Avantae Deven, that would be huge for us. And just those interactions, did they ever see the kids with them? What did the kids look like? What was the status? You know, what were the homes like?"

The Fayetteville Police Department also says they've set up a new tip line just for this case. That number is 910-578-2697.

 

[Guess Who]

Public's help wanted in adoptive mother's murder case: 'Trying to figure out who these people are'

Avantae Deven had nine known aliases, according to Fayetteville Police.

abc11.com

Public's help wanted in adoptive mother's murder case: 'Trying to figure out who these people are'​

The Fayetteville Police Department sat down to share their latest developments in the Avantae Deven case, and to ask for the public's help, in an interview you'll only see on ABC11.

Deven is accused of murdering and abusing two of her adoptive children before trying to conceal their bodies.

Police say they're particularly looking for the burn pit they believe Deven last used at her home on Berridale Drive. Police accuse her of using it to incinerate body parts before trying to conceal them at another location--and police say finding it could lead to their next breakthrough.

"The start of this case, we were already on on the back foot," says the lead detective on the case, Sarah Shirey. "You know, we didn't know anything about these children or this family until the police department becomes involved. And by then, we were already five years behind the eight ball. So we're trying to play catch up and figure out who these people are, who they associate with. And that's been our hardest thing. They don't really associate with anybody. They don't really have the traditional friends, the church groups, you know, the sports teams, things like that."

The Fayetteville Police Department says Blake and London Deven --the two children they say were killed by their adoptive mother Avantae Deven - haven't been seen since 2017 and 2019, respectively. Plus, they say the Devens were intensely reclusive.

One thing police say they specifically want to know more about is the burn pit they say Deven used at her Berridale Drive home to allegedly incinerate body parts.

"With the Berridale Drive burn pit, we'd be able to get some trace evidence that would corroborate some of our testimonial evidence that we have."

Police are also drawing more awareness to these nine aliases they know she used over the years.

They're also releasing a new photo of Deven from the '90s when she was going by the names "Michelle Spiegel" and "Prentiss Adams."

"If they know her as, say, Kim Nelson, you know, and not as Avantae Deven, that would be huge for us. And just those interactions, did they ever see the kids with them? What did the kids look like? What was the status? You know, what were the homes like?"

The Fayetteville Police Department also says they've set up a new tip line just for this case. That number is 910-578-2697.

View attachment 22872 View attachment 22873

What in the world was she hiding with so many aliases?

 

[GrandmaBear]

What I wonder is if the aliases relate to any other children she may have fostered, adopted or who went missing. None are known of I don't think are they?

If that's not the reason, then yeah, what is her reason? Does she have charges somewhere or unpaid debts and did not want to be tracked down? Is she a bigamist, maybe married several men... Hiding from an abusive ex? Seems doubtful considering the abuser that SHE WAS but who knows...

Committing fraud and ensuring if reported, seen, etc. that they knew the wrong name, the person she screwed over I mean knowing her under the wrong name if reporting it, etc...

Owing back taxes even, if receiving govt. money for kids, they'd take her assets and more, maybe that's how she protected such...

Also have to wonder were they just fake SS cards, etc. and did no one ever determine for instance no such person existed with such a number with the SSA, etc.?

Yeah, more is needed to know just what her deal was... As to all the identities anyhow...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'She made me buy a saw': Recording reveals family member's involvement in Deven murders

A man provided WRAL Investigates with a recording of a person saying they helped dismember Blake Deven's body. Avantae Deven is charged with murdering two of her adopted children, Blake Deven and London Deven.

www.wral.com

'She made me buy a saw': WRAL Investigates recording of apparent confession connected to Deven double-murder case in Fayetteville​

The recording reveals a family member saying they helped dismember Blake Deven’s body. As of Tuesday, law enforcement had not announced any charges against the person recorded.

Nathan Mitchell said he knows the person who admitted to dismembering Blake Deven’s body in the April 25, 2022, recorded phone call. The call happened two years before the public first learned Blake Deven was missing, and later that he was dead.


Because the person in the recording is not charged, WRAL Investigates is not identifying them.

“Nathan, I need you to talk to me because I have something to tell you,” the person said in the call to Mitchell.

Mitchell said he and the caller were having a dispute unrelated to the Devens, and he recorded the call to use as evidence against them.

But the evidence he got on April 25, 2022, appears to be a confession of what happened to Blake Deven's body after Avantae Deven's alleged neglect of the boy.

“She starved him so much that she killed him, and then she didn't call the ambulance,” the caller told Mitchell. “She didn't call the police. She didn't try to make up a story to tell them 'Oh, he passed away.'"

The family member also explained how Avantae Deven allegedly dismembered Blake Deven.

“She literally had me buy a [expletive] trash can dude, to [expletive] keep him in there for a month,” the caller told Mitchell.

The caller said Avantae Deven had them purchase a saw and get rid of Blake Deven’s body, according to the phone call recorded by Mitchell.

“I had to watch his [expletive] body burn,” the caller told Mitchell. “It’s been on my [expletive] mind and I don’t know what the [expletive] to do.”

Mitchell said he provided the FBI a copy of the recording. WRAL Investigates has reached out to Fayetteville police to ask if the FBI provided the agency with the recording, and if so, why additional charges haven’t been announced.

Mitchell explained to WRAL Investigates his original thoughts about the call. “You start to think, okay, maybe this person is lying about this for attention."

After Mitchell heard about Avantae Deven’s arrest in June, he thought maybe there was some truth to what the caller said on the phone on April 25, 2022.

“I actually forgot about it for the two years before this case became known and my wife kept telling me, ‘You need to listen to this recording again,’” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said after listening to it for two minutes, he knew he needed to send it to investigators immediately. He says he shared it with the FBI.

After hearing about Avantae Deven’s charges, Mitchell said he should have done more.

“I feel very guilty about this,” Mitchell said. “I probably should have just dropped an anonymous tip, just to even make sure the boys were okay.”

 

[GrandmaBear]

WTH IS THIS. He was recording him but not for that reason...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Why haven't police charged person who confessed to participating in Deven murders? WRAL asked a judge

Former Superior Court Judge Carl Fox shared why he believes authorities have not announced additional charges in the murder of Blake Deven. It comes after WRAL Investigates obtained a recorded phone call of a family member who appears to confess to dismembering Deven's body.

www.wral.com

Why haven't police charged person who confessed to participating in Deven murders? WRAL asked a judge​

A former judge is weighing in on why authorities have yet to announce additional charges in the Fayetteville murder of Blake Deven after a recording appears to reveal a confession connected to the case.

Former Superior Court Judge Carl Fox said there is likely a legal strategy at play.


In a recording of a 2022 phone call obtained by WRAL Investigates, a person confesses to helping dismember and get rid of Blake Deven’s body.

Blake Deven’s adoptive mother, Avantae Deven, is charged with his murder and the murder of his adopted sister, London Deven. Authorities arrested Avantae Deven on June 26.

Law enforcement has not announced any charges against the person recorded, who is a family member of the Deven family.



"My hunch is this person is a cooperating witness," Fox said of the family member on the recording.

"You have to believe someone participating in something like would be doing it under some degree of duress of coercion and not just because they were ‘tra-la-la’ [and] wanted to cut someone up to see what it's like," Fox said.

Mitchell said he made the recording because he and the Deven family member were having a previous, separate conflict. Mitchell said he has known the person for years.

"Everyone who was involved in this needs to be held accountable," Mitchell said.

However, Fox said it’s not always that simple.

"When you have a case that is this old, it's going to be solved basically one of two ways," Fox said. "You're going to have a witness come forward who was there or got a statement from the person, the perpetrator, or you'll have DNA evidence confirm who it is."

Fox said, from a prosecutor standpoint, two questions must be asked:

1. Who do you want to convict the most?
2. What level of responsibility do they have in the crime?

"You don't get to have your cake and eat it too in these situations," Fox said.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Yeah even though not old, I suspect the same is going on in the Madeline Soto case. That mom has so many inconsistencies, lies, is protective of him more than caring about her murdered daughter, it went on right under her nose for years at minimum, she is easily guilty of neglect and failure to protect at minimum, but no charges to date. However, HE is the big culprit and I suspect she is part of the use against him OR they are just amassing more before charging... Yet how much help she is when she defends him, lies for him, etc. is anyone's guess...

In this one this judge said almost have to figure the helper guy was under duress. I don't think I'd assume that. Other than that however, yeah a very old case never even realized children were long missing until recently so not old in that it was know but old in that it was unknown they had not been seen in years until such came about recently. Clues and evidence could be long gone and they need what they can get...

Not quite the same in Soto. They have a TON on the man... And people are irate the mom has not been charged. I have to say I did not jump on that band wagon at first but I am about as irritated now as the rest. I trust however the time will come...

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘A real mess’: NC homeowner recounts extensive home damage caused by woman now charged with murdering adopted children

Steve Slocumb, a North Carolina property owner, described the severe damage left by his former tenant, Avantae Deven, who is now charged with murdering her two adopted children.

www.wral.com

'A real mess': NC homeowner recounts extensive home damage caused by woman now charged with murdering adopted children​

A North Carolina property owner who rented his home to a Fayetteville woman charged with the murders of her two adopted children described the conditions she left.

Steve Slocumb rented his Leicester home from 2007 to 2008 to Avantae Deven, who is charged with murdering Blake Deven and London Deven.

"Just a real mess," Slocumb said. "Tubs had been overflowed and you can see where there had been damage on the drywall."

Slocumb said Avantae Deven left behind a broken stovetop, a fan ripped from the ceiling and scratches on hardwood floors after turning her keys in.

"It was a brand-new house," Slocumb said. "I’d just built it."

The home is in Buncombe County, about 20 minutes northwest of Asheville. Slocumb said he had photos of the damage, but he deleted them a few years ago.

"I met with her and her – I understand to be her mother – and actually a small girl she said was her adoptive daughter," Slocumb said.

After Avantae Deven and her family moved out of the home, Slocumb saw the damage they left behind. He gave her a choice.

"I’m either taking you to court or you need to sign a contract with me to pay back the money," Slocumb said.

Slocumb said she took the second option. She paid him thousands of dollars each month until she repaid him $40,000.

Slocumb said he found one other thing strange about the condition of the home.

"Someone installed those kind of chain locks on the tops of the doors," he said. "So, in other words, you'd have to be an adult or a tall person at least in the 5-foot, 6-foot or 7-foot range to reach up and unlock the door.

"Why would someone do that?"

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

She was licensed as a foster and adoptive parent, now charged with murder of two children

Avantae Deven, a Fayetteville mother charged with the murders of two of her adopted children, was a licensed foster and adoptive parent for years, with no prior concerns reported by the agency overseeing her placements.

www.wral.com

She was licensed as a foster and adoptive parent, now charged with murder of two children​

The Fayetteville mother charged with murdering two of her adopted children was a licensed adoptive parent for years, WRAL Investigates has learned.

Avantae Deven was a licensed foster parent from 2007-2013 through a nonprofit called Grandfather Home. She later became a licensed adoptive parent.

Deven is charged with murdering Blake Deven and London Deven, two of the five children she adopted during the time span.

In 2014, Grandfather Home merged with other organizations to form Children's Hope Alliance, which is the agency that provided this information.

The agency requires 40 hours of training and a background check before a child is placed in a home.

A Children’s Hope Alliance spokesperson sent a statement, saying, “Grandfather Home records from 11 years ago indicate there were no concerns for Avantae Deven to adopt.”

Children's Hope Alliance also noted Deven had seven letters of recommendation written on her behalf. The letters were from different agencies or private practices, including two behavioral health agencies.

WRAL Investigates asked to see those letters, but Children’s Hope Alliance said the documents are sealed.

The statement also said Grandfather Home worked with county social services and submitted the proper paperwork when Deven adopted her children. However, the spokesperson could not disclose which counties to which they referred because of state law.

Children's Hope Alliance said Deven declined post-adoption support services she was offered in 2013.