Investigators and volunteers were forced to stop searching for Aveion’s body today due to inclement weather in Roanoke, Virginia.  Investigators have charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect.  Police canceled an Amber Alert after they say Lockett admitted the child was dead before the alleged abduction on January 14, 2009.   Authorities say they came to this conclusion because of conflicting statements given, and as time went on investigators were advised an abduction did not occur.  Sadly, at this time, police do not know where Aveion’s body could be, but they have expanded the ground search to find the toddler. According to a police press release, “the department has investigated the reported abduction and received varying degrees of cooperation from key persons in the investigation; which lead police to question the validity of information received from some individuals.  As a result, investigators began to focus on the possibility that Brandon Lockett, Aveion’s step-father was not providing accurate details.”

Remembering Aveion Lewis

Around 3:30 p.m. this afternoon, I spoke with Robin Haldiman, CEO of the Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP) of Roanoke Valley.  She told me their agency was involved with Aveion and his family from an early age.  CHIPS makes monthly visits to families to help teach them parenting skills, coordinate health care, and to make sure the child is developing appropriately for their age.  They currently have a waiting list, and are helping about 1,100 children per year.  The agency staff are mandated reporters who are required to report abuse and child neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS) if they see issues in the home.  If a report is made, CPS will conduct a separate investigation, and if it is necessary they will remove the child.  Sadly, this is exactly what the agency had to do with Aveion.  Robin says the child was taken out of his home with his mother and placed with a loving foster family from May 2008 – April 2009.  The court system put Aveion back with his mother and when the CHIP organization came back to the home to do monthly visits, Robin says they were turned away and his mother would not sign a consent form to enter the home again.  The CHIP service is voluntary, not mandatory. Robin confirms that when Aveion was 15-months-old he was underweight, and when he was placed with his foster family, he began to become healthy again.  Robin and the members of her staff who worked with Aveion from early on are heart broken about the loss of this child, and as you can imagine, they grew close with the toddler since he was born.

BACKGROUND: Police initially said Aveion was snatched from his home on January 14, 2009 when three men allegedly broke into his apartment, assaulted Aveion’s step-father Brandon Lockett, and abducted the toddler.  Investigators say not only was the child taken, but his 4-year-old sister was tied up and gagged in a corner.  Investigators said early on they believed the suspects could be traveling in an early 1990’s model white SUV, and they collected surveillance from nearby businesses.  The FBI along with local law enforcement have been searching for the child by air, on the ground, and going door-to-door seeking answers.

If you have any information as to the whereabouts of  where Aveion Malik Lewis body could be, please call Roanoke City Police Department at (540) 853-2211 or Virginia State Police at (800) 822-4453.