Human remains recovered in search for missing Fayetteville teen and adopted sister
Partial human remains were found during an investigation into the disappearance of a Fayetteville teen and his adult adopted sibling, authorities said Friday.
According to the Fayetteville Police Department, police investigators along with agents with the FBI "developed information that led Fayetteville detectives to locate partial skeletal human remains."
A news release Friday afternoon did not say when or where the remains were recovered but noted that they were not found in the Berriedale home where the missing duo had lived.
The release said the bones were sent to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for identification.
"At this time, investigators have not confirmed who the remains belong to, testing could take weeks or months and do not always result in a positive identification," the statement said.
Since March 27, investigators have been actively searching for 17-year-old Blake Deven and 27-year-old London Deven â both of whom were adopted more than a decade ago in Western North Carolina by a woman named Avantae Deven, court records obtained by WRAL show.
According to a police department incident report, Avantae Deven reported Blake as a runaway on Jan. 19. The report indicates the 61-year-old woman said she last saw the teen in 2022.
The Police Department has said that days later, investigators learned London Deven was also missing and hadn't been seen since 2019 when she would have been 22.
Along with the Berriedale Drive home listed on the incident report, police and FBI agents have searched at least three other locations in the hunt for London and Deven.
Related: Biological aunt of missing Fayetteville teen: 'Why did it take so long to report it?'
At a news conference last week, Police Chief Kemberle Braden urged residents to contact law enforcement if they had any information.
"We're asking the public to think back over this long period of time and if anyone came in contact with Blake and London or other members of the Deven family, we want to hear from you," the chief said last week. "Detectives are piecing together a timeline of events and seeking information from anyone who had interacted with or made observations of Blake and London at any time.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Blake or London Deven is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL FBI or the Fayetteville Police Department tipline at 910-578-2697.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Police and FBI find remains while searching for London and Blake Deven
