The biological mother of a missing North Carolina child whose charred remains were found at the bottom of a burn barrel says she is "waiting for answers" as the boy's adoptive mother is charged with the murders of him and his adoptive sister.
Avantae Deven, 63, is also accused of concealment of death and kidnapping after police discovered the remains of Blake Deven, her adopted son, and what is believed to be the remains of London Deven, her adopted daughter in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"I really just feel like there's more questions, and [I'm] waiting for more answers," Felicia Chandler said, according to WRAL-TV. "I just want to see my other two boys. I want to know if the remains are going to be sent home to where they belong with their biological families."
Deven was the adoptive mother of Chandler's two other boys. She also adopted two girls who were not biologically related.
"Deven kept them in small rooms in complete darkness at times," Fayetteville Police Sgt. Jeff Locklear told reporters Wednesday, the outlet reported. "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. It is alleged some of the children were also beaten to the point of needing medical care but were only given natural cures like honey."
Police discovered the dismembered bodies inside a metal burn barrel on April 10 and testing confirmed one of the remains belonged to Blake, who was likely around 10 years old when he was killed, last week. Testing on the second set of remains, believed to belong to London, who was likely between 15 and 17, is ongoing, 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 was also missing, and hadn't been seen since 2019.
While conducting interviews with Blake and London's adoptive siblings, police discovered the "appalling conditions the kids grew up in."
"There were a lot of beatings because we would steal food just to survive," her adopted daughter, Bryanna Morrow, previously known as Cherish Deven, alleged, according to WRAL. "She would just drag you down by your hair and beat you."
Police alleged Blake was "mentally abused and starved," leading up to his death.
"His body could not sustain the inhumane treatment," said Locklear, the outlet reported. "Then, Avantae developed a plan to hide Blake's remains. She forced another person in the household to participate."
Locklear said it's likely London died "in the same painful way that Blake died from, starvation and neglect."
Deven was denied bond and is due back in court July 17.
