NC NC - Blake Deven & London Deven, missing dates and ages are uncertain, FBI involved, Fayetteville

[tlcya]

ABC11 obtained court documents showing that Blake and London were adopted by a woman named Avantae Emerald Deven in 2013 and 2011 respectively.
FBI search home linked to Blake, London Deven

Avantae Deven filed a petition for London Devon’s adoption in January 2011, which was approved two months later. Then, In April 2013, another petition was filed for Blake Deven’s adoption and approved.
Two missing from Fayetteville adopted by same woman in 2010s, documents show

 

[tatertot]

LE hasn't revealed much about Blake being "last seen at a Walmart on Ramsey Street" in 2022 and I trust they have their reasons. Due to the amount of time that passed, this has to be much more than randomly being caught on security footage. It doesn't say whether whoever saw him just spotted him in a crowd (in which case, it could've been a case of mistaken identity) or whether they had a conversation with him and definitely knew they were speaking to Blake. If he was around 15 at the time, he hadn't legally driven himself to the store (though he could have taken a bus, biked or walked), so was he with Ava or someone else?

I mention the following without any judgement; maybe the Walmart sighting was a relatively minor interaction with store security, such as horseplay in the store or an attempt to shoplift a small item, and he was asked to identify himself and was then given a verbal warning and told not to return to the store. Again, I'm not accusing him of any wrongdoing and I only mention this because one of my kids was caught shoplifting a $1 bag of candy and they told him they would not press charges, but they were keeping his name on their records for a few years. (He's remarkably honest today and both his dad and I went on to work at the same store, so all turned out well!) I guess it is possible that a foster or adopted brother could have been the one who was caught and he gave Blake's name to avoid trouble for himself, but it sounds like LE feels this sighting was credible.

 

[tlcya]

LE hasn't revealed much about Blake being "last seen at a Walmart on Ramsey Street" in 2022 and I trust they have their reasons. Due to the amount of time that passed, this has to be much more than randomly being caught on security footage. It doesn't say whether whoever saw him just spotted him in a crowd (in which case, it could've been a case of mistaken identity) or whether they had a conversation with him and definitely knew they were speaking to Blake. If he was around 15 at the time, he hadn't legally driven himself to the store (though he could have taken a bus, biked or walked), so was he with Ava or someone else?

I mention the following without any judgement; maybe the Walmart sighting was a relatively minor interaction with store security, such as horseplay in the store or an attempt to shoplift a small item, and he was asked to identify himself and was then given a verbal warning and told not to return to the store. Again, I'm not accusing him of any wrongdoing and I only mention this because one of my kids was caught shoplifting a $1 bag of candy and they told him they would not press charges, but they were keeping his name on their records for a few years. (He's remarkably honest today and both his dad and I went on to work at the same store, so all turned out well!) I guess it is possible that a foster or adopted brother could have been the one who was caught and he gave Blake's name to avoid trouble for himself, but it sounds like LE feels this sighting was credible.

Police began an investigation into Erica's disappearance. Casey and Sandy Parsons claimed that Erica was with her biological paternal grandmother Irene "Nan" Goodman in Asheville, North Carolina, a woman they claim to have first made contact with in July 2011 after Goodman wanted to forge a relationship with her granddaughter. Investigators have found no evidence of her existence. Billy Goodman's mother, Cloie Goodman, died in 2005. Before his death, Billy said that there was no Irene Goodman in his family.[14][11] Casey Parsons described Erica and Goodman meeting at a McDonald's in Mooresville, North Carolina, in September 2011, followed by several further visits. On one of those visits in December 2011, Casey Parsons said, Erica asked to stay with her grandmother permanently.
Murder of Erica Parsons - Wikipedia

Erica Parsons was last seen in 2011, but was reported missing nearly two years later. Her remains were found in 2016.

Casey and Sandy claimed they had last seen Erica in December 2011 at a McDonald’s in Mooresville.
The Erica Parsons Story: Who is ‘Nan’?

In the case of Erica Parsons, her adoptive mother told LE that she was last seen in the care of a fictional grandmother who they met up with at a McDonald's. Perhaps the Walmart alleged last sighting is where it has been claimed Blake was turned over to someone else's care and custody?

ETA Someone who LE cannot locate to verify exists?

 

[Simply Southern]

LE hasn't revealed much about Blake being "last seen at a Walmart on Ramsey Street" in 2022 and I trust they have their reasons. Due to the amount of time that passed, this has to be much more than randomly being caught on security footage. It doesn't say whether whoever saw him just spotted him in a crowd (in which case, it could've been a case of mistaken identity) or whether they had a conversation with him and definitely knew they were speaking to Blake. If he was around 15 at the time, he hadn't legally driven himself to the store (though he could have taken a bus, biked or walked), so was he with Ava or someone else?

I mention the following without any judgement; maybe the Walmart sighting was a relatively minor interaction with store security, such as horseplay in the store or an attempt to shoplift a small item, and he was asked to identify himself and was then given a verbal warning and told not to return to the store. Again, I'm not accusing him of any wrongdoing and I only mention this because one of my kids was caught shoplifting a $1 bag of candy and they told him they would not press charges, but they were keeping his name on their records for a few years. (He's remarkably honest today and both his dad and I went on to work at the same store, so all turned out well!) I guess it is possible that a foster or adopted brother could have been the one who was caught and he gave Blake's name to avoid trouble for himself, but it sounds like LE feels this sighting was credible.

I'm considered the same scenario. Maybe he was charged and never appeared.

Something seems significant about the Walmart incident.
Moo

 

[bluebird129]

Police began an investigation into Erica's disappearance. Casey and Sandy Parsons claimed that Erica was with her biological paternal grandmother Irene "Nan" Goodman in Asheville, North Carolina, a woman they claim to have first made contact with in July 2011 after Goodman wanted to forge a relationship with her granddaughter. Investigators have found no evidence of her existence. Billy Goodman's mother, Cloie Goodman, died in 2005. Before his death, Billy said that there was no Irene Goodman in his family.[14][11] Casey Parsons described Erica and Goodman meeting at a McDonald's in Mooresville, North Carolina, in September 2011, followed by several further visits. On one of those visits in December 2011, Casey Parsons said, Erica asked to stay with her grandmother permanently.
Murder of Erica Parsons - Wikipedia

Erica Parsons was last seen in 2011, but was reported missing nearly two years later. Her remains were found in 2016.

Casey and Sandy claimed they had last seen Erica in December 2011 at a McDonald’s in Mooresville.
The Erica Parsons Story: Who is ‘Nan’?

In the case of Erica Parsons, her adoptive mother told LE that she was last seen in the care of a fictional grandmother who they met up with at a McDonald's. Perhaps the Walmart alleged last sighting is where it has been claimed Blake was turned over to someone else's care and custody?

ETA Someone who LE cannot locate to verify exists?

Yeah, it sounds like one of many plausible circumstances. My mind went there as well. Walmart is a "neutral" place to meet up.

 

[tlcya]

Yeah, it sounds like one of many plausible circumstances. My mind went there as well. Walmart is a "neutral" place to meet up.

and very heavily trafficked, so likely difficult to find an independent witness to corroborate events as described by someone years later MOO

 

[Breezie]

Fayetteville man remembers seeing missing siblings years ago as kids

It's been seven years since James Howard moved into a house on Berriedale Drive. It's across the street from the one that Blake and London Deven lived in as children.

www.wral.com

Howard said he last saw them about six years ago, but remembers Blake like it was yesterday.
"I've seen him enough because he was actually roaming the yard and the house and stuff doing things," Howard said.

Howard said the last time he saw the children was around Christmas, six years ago.
"The girl would come out and stand by the mailbox and she would smoke a cigarette," Howard said. "At the time, she was probably about 17 years old."

"I saw him run across the street and he almost got hit by a car," Howard said. "That's what really brought him to my attention. Maybe, probably about a month later, the lady came across and said she had sent him back to the state."

The house was bought in 2019. The neighbor last saw Blake and London the same year which must have been 2019. Ava told the neighbor, a month after Christmas, possibly in January 2020, that she gave Blake back to the state. She didn’t say anything about London who went missing around the same time.

Did Blake and London run away together around Christmas of 2019? Was Blake rehomed? The sighting at Walmart may not be accurate. Someone else mentioned that one of Blake’s brothers could have been stopped by security at Walmart and given them Blake’s name.

 

[DoctorRose]

So in 2019 London would have been like 23. Did she still live with Avantae up until then or had she already left the home?

 

[Breezie]

So in 2019 London would have been like 23. Did she still live with Avantae up until then or had she already left the home?

She probably was still living with her. She could be the one the neighbor saw outside smoking. She may have looked younger than 23. The neighbor thought the girl smoking was still a teen. They had been homeschooled. She could have been helping with the younger kids in the house.

 

[AislingGray18]

She probably was still living with her. She could be the one the neighbor saw outside smoking. She may have looked younger than 23. The neighbor thought the girl smoking was still a teen. They had been homeschooled. She could have been helping with the younger kids in the house.

The fact that she was of age in 2019 and still had no online presence is very odd to me. It was only 5 years ago. What 18-25 year old doesn't have social media?

 

[tatertot]

The fact that she was of age in 2019 and still had no online presence is very odd to me. It was only 5 years ago. What 18-25 year old doesn't have social media?

..as well as at least a single individual in her life who would come forward to say they were friends, coworkers or fellow parishioners.

The house was bought in 2019. The neighbor last saw Blake and London the same year which must have been 2019. Ava told the neighbor, a month after Christmas, possibly in January 2020, that she gave Blake back to the state. She didn’t say anything about London who went missing around the same time.

RTBM. If Blake was "back with the state" by January 2020, that was right before the pandemic. I trust LE is looking into whether Recovery Rebate Credits as well as Child Tax Credits were received in his name for 2020 and 2021. (He would have been a minor and eligible both years, London would have been an adult already.)

Re: the neighbor thinking London was 17 when he last saw her, sneaking out to the mailbox to smoke sounds like a teenage move, versus merely smoking on the porch as an adult because Mom doesn't want the smell in the house. I can see why he assumed she was still a teen.

I also trust LE is requesting any evidence of Blake's and London's homeschooling: artwork, written or computer work, notebooks and texts. Sadly, evidence of homeschooling might be as elusive as more recent photos of the two.

 

[carbuff]

(snipped)

RTBM. If Blake was "back with the state" by January 2020, that was right before the pandemic. I trust LE is looking into whether Recovery Rebate Credits as well as Child Tax Credits were received in his name for 2020 and 2021. (He would have been a minor and eligible both years, London would have been an adult already.)

Hm. When the news articles mention they were investigating another matter when they discovered Blake was missing, was that possibly about fraud related to the covid or tax credits? I know, there's no way to tell until they make some sort of announcement, but it's the first suggestion that seems plausible.

 

[grannygates]

Hm. When the news articles mention they were investigating another matter when they discovered Blake was missing, was that possibly about fraud related to the covid or tax credits? I know, there's no way to tell until they make some sort of announcement, but it's the first suggestion that seems plausible.

good idea! IMO some type of audit of gov't benefits would make perfect sense as to why (whoever) would want to confirm all the children who are residing at the home and accounted for. IMO The family could still be receiving funding for Blake, but he's not living there anymore. I've gone over incident reports and police reports in 3 counties for the last year and haven't been able to locate any reports associated with this case. The idea an audit of some kind would be a perfect explanation. all MOO

eta: if Blake is 17 now, he may be near his 18th birthday and if he had some type of medical condition,etc, he may have been getting ready to switch over to an adult benefit and that's where the inquiry came from ?

 

[carbuff]

That would fit also.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[grannygates]

This reporter Chris has been doing a wonderful job keeping this case in the news and online !

 

[bluebird129]

Yes, Chris is very into investigating this and I'm glad

 

[Breezie]

good idea! IMO some type of audit of gov't benefits would make perfect sense as to why (whoever) would want to confirm all the children who are residing at the home and accounted for. IMO The family could still be receiving funding for Blake, but he's not living there anymore. I've gone over incident reports and police reports in 3 counties for the last year and haven't been able to locate any reports associated with this case. The idea an audit of some kind would be a perfect explanation. all MOO

eta: if Blake is 17 now, he may be near his 18th birthday and if he had some type of medical condition,etc, he may have been getting ready to switch over to an adult benefit and that's where the inquiry came from ?

Kids keep Medicaid after they are adopted. They can also be on their parents’ health insurance with Medicaid as a secondary coverage. It is doubtful that adoptive mom would have had a separate health plan for them. If Blake hasn’t been to a doctor or a dentist for several years, then they might check to see if he had moved, and if adoptive mom is still getting benefits for him.

 

[AislingGray18]

Kids keep Medicaid after they are adopted. They can also be on their parents’ health insurance with Medicaid as a secondary coverage. It is doubtful that adoptive mom would have had a separate health plan for them. If Blake hasn’t been to a doctor or a dentist for several years, then they might check to see if he had moved, and if adoptive mom is still getting benefits for him.

I agree. I am in a different state, but several years ago I was the kinship placement for family in foster care. I only had them for less than a year, and that was four years ago, but I still get calls for the kids who are still in state custody.
Dentists, Dr's and schools still have me as emergency contact I guess. But then, I am the only one in the family who actually has a phone number, as well. Sometimes they do follow up...but covid really stopped all of that

I too am curious about what bank account their stimulus checks were deposited into

 

[grannygates]

Not much info that we didn’t already know. Gives dates of petition and adoption for both children. An curious tidbit re: someone confirmed that (adoptive mother) did adopt the children but “that person has left the household” (…am I overthinking that sentence?) also states this person does want to speak to media but has been advised by police not to.

Missing persons case: Homeschool connection emerges for Blake and London Deven

Documents WRAL News obtained reveal "Deven Academy," a homeschool program, operating at the same Eichelberger Drive address where Fayetteville Police say the Deven family lived until June 2019.

www.wral.com