The hearing to control medical care for Leonie Maxwell took place Thursday. Her grandchildren, Blake and London, have been missing for years, police say.
www.fayobserver.com
May 11, 2024
Despite the impassioned pleas of Leonie Maxwell's daughter, Avantae Deven, a judge on Thursday granted an emergency petition giving the Cumberland County Department of Social Services control over medical decisions for the gravely ill 95-year-old whose two adopted grandchildren have been missing for years
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In a call to 911 on Jan. 19, Deven told dispatchers she last saw her adopted son, who would have been 15 at the time, as he was leaving for a Buddhist retreat.
Blake was listed as a runaway for months, but on March 20, police were called to the home for a suicidal subject.
In the March 20 call to 911, a 15-year-old boy — presumably another of Deven's adopted children — tells the dispatcher he wants to harm himself.
"My brother, he's been punching me and teasing me all day and right now I'm feeling very suicidal," the teen said.
"Is anyone in danger right now?" the dispatcher asked.
"No— except for me," the boy replied.
"OK, How do you plan to kill yourself?" the dispatcher responds.
"I was planning on taking some pills from my mom and taking them," the teen said.
Eight days later, police issued a news release stating: "While conducting interviews in a separate police investigation, several members of Blake's family reported they have not seen him in several years."
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The Department of Social Services stated in the motion that Cape Fear Valley Medical Center had been unable to reach Deven to discuss "necessary medical decisions" for her mother who was on a ventilator and feeding tube in the hospital intensive care unit after suffering a stroke and resulting brain injury in November.
While the evidence presented Thursday happened while the courtroom was closed to the public, the judge reopened the court for final argument and recounted the facts before handing down his decision giving DSS control.
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The judge noted that Deven said the hospital had difficulty reaching her because she was forced to stay at a hotel for days as police conducted at least four searches at her Berriedale Drive home. She was also forced to turn over her cellphones, the judge said. He said Deven claimed that her mother's grave condition was the fault of an in-home healthcare nurse who fell asleep on shift.
Deven, who was animated throughout the ruling, expressed displeasure with the judge's decision and tried to persuade him to reconsider.
"I am 100% available right now. I will be (at the hospital) every day," she told Jordan. "I will have my phone on my chest."
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Long article -- more at link.