Hunt for missing Fayetteville teen, relative continued Friday as police ask for public's help

Joseph Pierre and F.T. Norton, Fayetteville Observer
Updated ·3 min read

The mysterious yearslong disappearance of a teen and an adult relative has resulted in several searches in the area by members of the FBI and Fayetteville Police Department, Police Chief Kemberle Braden said Friday.

"Today detectives from the FBI's evidence response team executed a search warrant at a home where the Deven family used to live in Fayetteville to look for any possible evidence that may help locate Blake and London," Braden said at a Friday afternoon news conference at police headquarters. "These are unusual missing person cases. Our investigation didn't start with a 911 call. Blake and London have been missing for years. This will be a complex investigation and will likely take time."

Police announced on March 28 that Blake Deven, 17, was last seen in 2022 when he would have been 15.

Then on Thursday, authorities announced the teen's "relative" London Deven, 27, was also missing. She was last seen in 2019 when she would have been about 23 years old.

Police Chief Kemberle Braden addresses the media on April 5, 2024, in front of photos of Blake and London Deven, reported missing years after family said they were last seen. Blake would now be 17 and London 27, authorities said.
Police Chief Kemberle Braden addresses the media on April 5, 2024, in front of photos of Blake and London Deven, reported missing years after family said they were last seen. Blake would now be 17 and London 27, authorities said.

The missing persons investigation began last week when law enforcement spoke with Blake's family during an investigation into a separate matter, a news release said. Days later, police learned of London Deven's disappearance, Braden said.

"As investigators conducted their investigations into the whereabouts and safety of Blake, we learned that another family member, London Deven, was not present in the home and her whereabouts are currently unknown," Braden said Friday.

The most recent photo of Blake Deven, now 17, in 2012 when he was likely 5 years old.
The most recent photo of Blake Deven, now 17, in 2012 when he was likely 5 years old.
The most recent photo of London Deven, now 28, in 2007 when she was likely 12 years old.
The most recent photo of London Deven, now 28, in 2007 when she was likely 12 years old.

In addition to the Friday search of the former home of the Deven family, the initial news release said the FBI joined the Fayetteville Police Department in the search of three locations on March 27.

Braden gave no new details in the case and specifically declined to comment on whether Blake was adopted or a foster child — a contention shared widely on social media and buoyed by online postings from a Buncombe County woman who identifies herself as Blake's birth mother. The woman suggests Blake, who was given a different name at birth, and possibly two of her other children became wards of the state. She has not responded to The Fayetteville Observer's request for comment.

The police chief said only that the Deven family moved to Fayetteville in 2015 and investigators are asking for the public's help in making a timeline of the family's time here.

"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," Braden said. "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.

"Any interaction or sighting, no matter how recent or how old, are significant in these cases. I know that everyone in our community has more questions than answers right now. Please understand that the Fayetteville Police Department and FBI remain committed to finding out what happened to these two young people."

The FBI released a missing person poster Thursday, April 4, 2024, for Fayetteville teen Blake Deven, 17, who was last seen by family in 2022.
The FBI released a missing person poster Thursday, April 4, 2024, for Fayetteville teen Blake Deven, 17, who was last seen by family in 2022.

Police have not said where the teen lived, the circumstances of his disappearance, or the focus of the unrelated investigation that resulted in the missing persons report. They have also not revealed the family relationship between the teen and London Deven.

Photos released of the two show Blake as a 5-year-old and London Deven as a 12-year-old. A rendering, provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, presumes to show what Blake would look like now.

Braden asked that the public share "official information" on social media and that business owners post the missing person's flyers to their shop windows.

"We want everyone to see their photos and call us," he said.

An age progressed photo of Blake Deven provided to the Fayetteville Police Department by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
An age progressed photo of Blake Deven provided to the Fayetteville Police Department by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

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: FBI and Fayetteville police search for missing teen and relative