By Jerald Jimenez
Jun 27, 2024, 12:05 PM EDT
Avantae Deven, a North Carolina woman who adopted several children, has been arrested and charged with the murders of two of her adopted children, Blake and London Deven, who had not been seen in years, local authorities reported.
“Our investigation has revealed that Avantae Deven is the person responsible for abusing and ultimately killing the children,” Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden reported at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Braden also revealed that part of the abuse included food deprivation.
Deven faces a number of serious charges, including two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of concealment of death, one count of kidnapping related to the death of London Deven and two counts of serious child abuse related to the death of Blake Deven. She is currently being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center without bond.
In the middle of the investigation, authorities stated that Deven tried to mislead detectives with different stories that prolonged the investigation. Given this, Sergeant Jeff Locklear, who is leading the investigation, reported that the suspect said that Blake had been at a Buddhist retreat in the mornings.
Similarly, police revealed that Deven did not report Blake missing until this year. Blake Deven was last seen in 2022 at a Walmart on Ramsey Street, and London Deven was last seen in 2019 in Fayetteville.
To this day, Fayetteville authorities continue to ask the public for information that could help them create a timeline in the investigation into the children’s deaths. They noted that anyone with information should contact Fayetteville police.
With information from ABC 11