Grisly details have emerged about a North Carolina mom who allegedly starved and neglected her adopted children for years until their bodies "could not longer take the inhumane treatment."
Avantae Deven, 63, was arrested and charged last week with first-degree murder, concealment of death and kidnapping after police discovered the remains of Blake Deven, Avantae's adopted son, and what is believed to be the remains of London Deven, her adopted daughter.
Police discovered the bodies on April 10 and testing confirmed one of the remains belonged to Blake last week. Testing on the second set of remains, believed to be London's, is ongoing.
London and Blake's bodies were discovered inside a metal burn barrel, according to Fayetteville Police Sgt. Jeff Locklear, who said that Blake was likely around 10 years old when he was killed, and London was between 15 and 17, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
The Investigation began in November 2023 when police responded to a 911 call about a mental health crisis at the Deven's Home, according to Spectrum News. A sibling of Blake's told police that they had not seen him in five years.
During the investigation police learned that London Deven was also missing, and hadn't been seen since 2019.
While conducting interviews with Blake and London's siblings who were also adopted by Avantae, police discovered the "appalling conditions the kids grew up in."
"Deven kept them in small rooms in complete darkness at times. They were given little or no food, they could earn nourishment through doing 'paperwork.' That meant they had to write hundreds of paragraphs to apologize for misbehavior, " Locklear said, according to multiple reports.
Police say Blake was likely mentally and physically abused before his body "could not sustain the inhumane treatment." He was dismembered and burned, allegedly by Avantae, who also coerced another family member to help her. Police say London likely died "in the same painful way."
Bryanna Morrow, who previously went by Cherish Deven, described what it was like to live under Avantae's roof, according to WRAL, revealing details about the apologies the children were forced to write, locks on the fridge and kitchen cabinets, and sometimes being forced into isolation for days.
"There were days we didn't go with showers. The only time we could turn on the bathroom sink was to get water," Morrow said, adding that by the time she was 15, she was writing " one page [to] 2,000 page" apologies.
Avantae appeared in court for the first time on Thursday, June 24, and was denied bond. Her next court date is July 17.
