A woman from Fayetteville, North Carolina dialed 911 to report her adopted son, 17-year-old Blake Deven, missing. However, the plot thickened as it was recently revealed that she had allegedly been involved in his disappearance.
The adoptive mother, Avantae Deven, found herself in hot water as she was charged with murder on Wednesday in connection to the case. During the 911 call on January 19, Avantae claimed that Blake had run away to a Buddhist retreat and failed to return. She mentioned seeing him last at a restaurant, but the details seemed murky and suspicious.
LISTEN TO 911 CALL:
@findingneejo 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. During the investigation into the teen’s disappearance, law enforcement learned another of Deven’s adopted children, London Deven, 27, hadn’t been seen since 2019, officials said. #BlakeDeven #blakejuliantrentondeven #TrentonDewayneShuler #LondonDeven #moriahelizabethFoster #moriahelizabeth #northcarolina #NC #fayettevillenc #fayetteville #buncombecounty #adoption #missing #missingperson #avantaedeven #avantaeemeralddeven ♬ original sound – FindingNeejo
Avantae couldn’t quite recall the exact name of the restaurant where Blake was last spotted, but later mentioned it was a Neighborhood Walmart located on Ramsey and Pamalee in Fayetteville. In April, both the FBI and Fayetteville police had been combing through the Berridale residence and their former home on Eichelberger Drive.
According to court records, it was revealed that Blake and London were receiving homeschooling, attending a school named Deven Academy which is officially registered with the state and had their previous address listed on Eichelberger Drive as the place of business. The homeschooling program was noted to have a religious affiliation and was established in Buncombe County back in 2007, as reported by the outlet.
Avantae Deven charged with murder in case of her two adopted children
In a recent twist of events, Fayetteville police have slapped Avantae with a slew of serious charges. She is facing two counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, child abuse causing serious bodily harm, intentional child abuse, and tampering with evidence related to concealing unnatural death.
As per CBS 17, law enforcement officers showed up at Avantae’s residence at 9:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning. The authorities revealed that 17-year-old Blake and his 27-year-old sister, London Deven, had been missing for years, but their disappearances were only reported earlier this year.
In a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Fayetteville Police’s Senior Sergeant Mickey Locklear disclosed that the siblings had been subjected to appalling living conditions by Avantae. Locklear mentioned that Avantae would confine the children in dark, cramped spaces with scarce food, and even made them write apologies to earn their meals.
Both siblings found dismembered in separate homes
During the investigation, FBI agents scoured Avantae’s residence for clues regarding the mysterious case of London and Blake. The investigators made a chilling discovery – the siblings’ remains were found in separate homes, both gruesomely dismembered. Shockingly, it was revealed that Avantae allegedly coerced someone in the household to assist in the dismemberment of Blake.
London, who had special needs and relied on Avantae as her caregiver, was last seen in 2019. Tragically, investigators suspect that London met the same cruel fate as her brother, Blake, succumbing to starvation and neglect.
A breakthrough in the investigation led authorities to a metal burn barrel containing two distinct sets of human remains. A forensic analysis confirmed one set belonged to London Deven, while testing is ongoing to identify the second set, believed to be Blake Deven.
In a bizarre twist, Blake and London were two of five unrelated children adopted by Avantae.
