A North Carolina woman, Avantae Deven, has been accused of committing horrifying crimes against her adopted children, according to authorities.
One of her adopted daughters, now an adult, has shared disturbing claims about being forced to cover up these crimes... Continue reading here ▶
In June 2024, the 63-year-old Deven was charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, kidnapping, and hiding the deaths of two of her adopted children, Blake and London Deven, as announced by Fayetteville Police.
In September 2024, a recording from April 2022 revealed shocking details. In the recording, a caller admitted to dismembering 10-year-old Blake’s body after his death.
“She made me buy a trash can to store his body for a month,” the caller said. “I had to watch her burn his body. It’s haunted me ever since.”
The caller also revealed Blake’s cause of death, claiming Deven starved him to death. “She starved him until he died. She didn’t call an ambulance or the police,” the caller explained.
The caller was later identified as Cherish Deven, another of Avantae’s adopted children. Cherish, now an adult, said she was only 16 or 17 when she was allegedly forced to dismember her brother’s body.
“She made me buy a saw to cut him up. There was no choice. She told me, ‘You’re doing it, or you’ll be in trouble,’” Cherish said in the recording. “I was a child. I didn’t know what to do.”
Cherish insisted she never acted willingly. “I was forced. It disgusts me that I had to do something so horrible,” she said.
Investigators believe Blake endured severe abuse and starvation before he died. Sgt. Jeff Locklear stated, “He was mentally abused and starved to the point of torture. His body couldn’t survive such treatment.”
Blake was last seen alive in 2017 at age 10. London, who had special needs, was a teenager when she died. Both children’s burned remains were later found in a barrel.
Avantae Deven, who had adopted five children in total, allegedly planned to hide Blake’s remains and forced others in the household to assist.
Cherish expressed her anger toward her adoptive mother. “I hate you,” she said. “You told me you loved me and were my mother, but you never were.”
Authorities revealed that Deven adopted five children, including three biological brothers and two unrelated girls. The investigation is still ongoing, and no charges have been filed against Cherish for her involvement.
