A North Carolina woman made her first court appearance Wednesday after she was accused of killing her two adoptive children who had not been seen alive for several years.
Avantae Deven, 63, was named the main suspect in the disappearance and death of Blake Deven, who would not be 17, and London Deven, who would now be 27.
A months-long investigation involving the FBI led police to the missing pair’s remains inside a metal barrel.
Investigators said the missing children, who were among three boys and two girls adopted by Avantae Deven, lived in “appalling conditions” with her.
They alleged the children were often starved, abused, and beaten by Deven before they vanished in 2019.
The probe into the children’s disappearance started when police responded to the Fayetteville family’s home in November over reports of a mental health crisis.
One of Avantae’s adopted children reportedly told cops he had not seen his sibling Blake in five years.
