A 63-year-old woman in the US has been arrested and charged with killing two of her adopted children after their bodies were discovered inside a burn barrel. According to the Independent, two of Avantae Deven’s adopted children, Blake and London Deven, hadn’t been seen for years. London was last seen in 2019, but her mother never reported her missing. Blake hasn’t been seen since 2022, but Deven didn’t report him missing until earlier this year. 

Authorities in Fayetteville, North Carolina were alerted of the situation in 2023 after one of her surviving foster children made a mental health call to police. When cops investigated the multiple homes the family had lived in, they found remains at multiple residences. Detectives found a burn barrel with partial human remains inside it. Forensic tests revealed that they belonged to a female aged 15 to 19 and a male aged 7 to 10. 

Investigators believe that Deven abused the children and ultimately killed and dismembered them. As per NBC affiliate WRAL, London died of starvation and neglect while testing continues on the boy’s remains.

More chilling details released by the authorities this week revealed that the siblings, along with three other adopted children, had lived in brutal conditions while in the care of Deven. Blake and London were adopted by Deven in 2013 and 2011 respectively, according to court documents obtained by ABC11.

They were kept in a small, dark room and given little to no food. They were allegedly able to “earn” food by writing hundreds of paragraphs to apologise for their behaviour. The children told social workers that they were also beaten at times to the point where they would have needed medical assistance.

During a press conference, police said they have the forensic evidence to support allegations of torture, starvation, and isolation. 

”We believe he (Blake) was mentally abused and starved. His body could not sustain the inhumane treatment. Then, Avantae developed a plan to hide Blake’s remains. She forced another person in the household to participate,” Sgt. Locklear said. London Deven died ”in the same painful way that Blake died, starvation and neglect,” Mr Locklear added. 

Deven is now facing two counts of first-degree murder, concealment of death, kidnapping and felony child abuse, according to the Fayetteville Police Department.  She is being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center with no bond.

“All of us have soft spots for children and cases with children are the most difficult that we deal with. The fact that this involves allegations of the abuse in the death of children was certainly the thing that grabbed my attention first, particularly how the allegations suggest the way they died,” Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said. 

New Delhi:

A Nashville police officer, Sean Herman, has been arrested following a scandal involving his appearance in an explicit video posted on OnlyFans while on duty. The arrest comes after a month-long investigation into the incident, which led to his termination from the force and subsequent criminal charges.

According to authorities, Herman, 33, was caught at his residence in Sumner County and now faces two counts of official misconduct related to his participation in the production of an adult video. The investigation revealed that the video, which featured Herman in uniform, was filmed on April 26 in a warehouse parking lot in Madison while he was on duty as a patrol officer.

The video, described as a mock traffic stop skit on OnlyFans, depicted Herman engaging in inappropriate conduct. Reportedly, he groped the exposed breast of a woman identified as an OnlyFans content creator, Jordin, during the staged scenario. Although Herman’s face was not visible in the video, his police patch was briefly exposed, confirming his affiliation with the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Chief John Drake of the Metro Nashville Police Department took swift action upon discovering the video, terminating Herman’s employment on May 9, just one day after its discovery. The subsequent investigation by the Specialized Investigations Division further substantiated Herman’s involvement, leading to his indictment and arrest.

In court proceedings, a judge set Herman’s bond at $3,000. Before his dismissal, Herman had served with the Metro Nashville Police Department for three years.

The Metro Nashville police department has condemned Herman’s actions as “totally outrageous”.