Kyron’s family has reached out to the public, but not in person, or on camera.  They issued a statement and urged the community for help with looking for Kyron.  The family asks folks in the immediate area to please search their properties, buildings, sheds, any small places a child could hide.  They say their reason for not appealing to the public in person is because they don’t want to take the attention away from Kyron.  On a personal note, although I respect the family’s decision to scale back their public appearances, I also understand that they need the media to help find their son.

I have covered thousands of missing child cases over my career, and I know it is important for the public to actually see the parents, to see the loved ones, especially when their loved one goes missing.  It is the image of the parents and guardians that resonate in the public’s mind, and if someone has information, it may weigh on their hearts and urge them to come forward.

Authorities say Kyron’s step-mother, Terri Moulton Horman, told them she saw him walking down the hallway inside the Skyline Elementary School towards his classroom.  He was looking at science projects before walking to his class. About 300 students attend K-8 classes at the school. Teachers and staff say Kyron never made it into his class.  There are many questions that need to be answered, and investigators need your leads.

Kyron was last seen wearing orange and black cargo pants, and a white t-shirt with a “CSI” logo.  The t-shirt has orange trim around the neck.  He had on Sketcher tennis shoes, and white socks.  Kyron weighs 50 pounds, and is 3 feet 8 inches tall. 

Please contact Multnomah County Sheriff’s non-emergency line at 503-261-2847 with any information.

Remembering Aveion Lewis

Investigators confirm the body they found at the Smith Gap Landfill in Roanoke, Virginia is in fact the body of 3-year-old Aveion Lewis.  Police told me they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue, and that is what led them to the discovery.  Thankfully, the trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the truck in route to the landfill before it made a deposit.  The truck emptied its contents in an isolated area at the landfill, and investigators sifted through the garbage.  At this time, Roanoke police say they have not moved forward with homicide charges against Brandon Lockett, but that may change in the near future.  He is scheduled to appear in court in March.

Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted.  Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place.  Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on.  Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators early on did not know exactly where the child’s body could be.

Brandon Lockett (Aveion's step-father)

Information from an unsealed search warrant I obtained from the Roanoke City Court paints a clear picture into Aveion’s life before his death.  The warrant states, “Aveion Lewis was removed from the custody of his biological mother and stepfather, Morgan and Brandon Lockett, in May 2008 due to a “failure to thrive.”  Aveion was 14-months-old, weighed less than nine pounds, and according to the documents, the parents were not complying with the medical instructions for his care.  After 45 days in foster care, Aveion doubled his weight and was doing well.  An investigation indicates Aveion recently sustained contact burns on both legs, which resulted in blistering from a home heater.  Sadly, medical attention was never sought for the burns because the parents were afraid.  They have a past history with the Department of Social Services, and as an excuse, they say Aveion has a “high threshold for pain.”

Aveion Lewis was removed from the home by authorities in May 2008 and returned in September 2009, sixteen months later.  A significant change in the Lockett’s family structure occurred in September 2009, when Aveion was returned to the home.  Investigative interviews determined that upon Aveion’s return to the home 4 months ago, the Locketts had begun toilet training.  According to the unsealed search warrant, research in child homicide has reflected that toilet training accidents are often the provocation for physical punishments, sometimes resulting in death.  Aveion Lewis was born with a medical condition which resulted in surgery to remove a portion of his intestines and thereafter he required a strict schedule of feeding and proper medication.  Failure of the parents to comply with this schedule resulted in his removal of the home.  The warrant states the Locketts have four children, including Aveion, all under the age of four, and that the family also experienced financial hardships (cable was disconnected) prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  The stepfather was unemployed at the time of Aveion’s bogus abduction and the mother was employed at a minimum wage job.  The investigation has uncovered instances of illegal drug activity by the stepfather prior to the incident, and Brandon Lockett has a prior drug conviction from Georgia as well as two arrests involving family violence in 2006 and 2007.  Aveion Lewis is 2 years of age and will be 3 years old on January 26^th.  According to a 2006 study by the Department of Health and Human Services, children younger than 4 years of age are at greatest risk of severe injury or death by their parents or caregivers.”

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.  The CHIP program 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 in May 2008.  Robin says the court system put Aveion back with his mother, not CPS.  I spoke with a clerk at the court, and although they would not comment specifically on Aveion’s case, he did tell me that a court hearing does take place in these types of cases, and a judge makes the final decision as to where the child goes, or if the child is placed back into the home with their parents. The CHIP organization tried to go back into home to do monthly visits after Aveion was placed with his mother, but sadly Robin says they were turned away.  Aveion’s mother would not sign a consent form to enter the home again.  This is probably due to the fact that the CHIP organization filed the original complaint with Child Protective Servies about Aveion’s welfare.  The CHIP service is voluntary, not mandatory, and they work hard to ensure children are safe. Robin confirms that when Aveion was 15-months-old he was underweight, only eight pounds, 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 heartbroken about the loss of this child, and as you can imagine, they grew close with the toddler since he was born. 

Remembering Aveion Lewis

Search teams are still on the ground in Virginia working to find the body of 3-year-old Aveion Lewis.  Today marks the toddler’s 3rd birthday. Expert teams are focusing on the Smith Gap Landfill as part of the on-going search efforts.  The Roanoke Police Department has assistance from expert teams in other states to help find the toddler’s body, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who provide expertise in landfill searches.  According to a press release issued this morning, “On January 16, 2010, investigators identified trash from Roanoke in the Smith Gap Landfill operated by the Roanoke Valley Resource Authority.  This trash was isolated and contained within the landfill to prevent further contamination from other trash… The search was suspended January 24 and 25, 2010, due to inclement weather.  The landfill search will resume today, January 26,2010.  The landfill search is in addition to numerous searches of trash dumpsters and other receptacles that have been conducted in and around the Jamestown area by Roanoke Police investigators and agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”  

Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted.  Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place.  Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on.  Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators do not know exactly where the child’s body could be. 

Information from an unsealed search warrant I obtained last week from the Roanoke City Court paints a clear picture into Aveion’s life before his death.  The warrant states, “Aveion Lewis was removed from the custody of his biological mother and stepfather, Morgan and Brandon Lockett, in May 2008 due to a “failure to thrive.”  Aveion was 14-months-old, weighed less than nine pounds, and according to the documents, the parents were not complying with the medical instructions for his care.  After 45 days in foster care, Aveion doubled his weight and was doing well.  An investigation indicates Aveion recently sustained contact burns on both legs, which resulted in blistering from a home heater.  Sadly, medical attention was never sought for the burns because the parents were afraid.  They have a past history with the Department of Social Services, and as an excuse, they say Aveion has a “high threshold for pain.”

Brandon Lockett (booking photo)

Aveion Lewis was removed from the home by authorities in May 2008 and returned in September 2009, sixteen months later.  A significant change in the Lockett’s family structure occurred in September 2009, when Aveion was returned to the home.  Investigative interviews determined that upon Aveion’s return to the home 4 months ago, the Locketts had begun toilet training.  According to the unsealed search warrant, research in child homicide has reflected that toilet training accidents are often the provocation for physical punishments, sometimes resulting in death.  Aveion Lewis was born with a medical condition which resulted in surgery to remove a portion of his intestines and thereafter he required a strict schedule of feeding and proper medication.  Failure of the parents to comply with this schedule resulted in his removal of the home.  The warrant states the Locketts have four children, including Aveion, all under the age of four, and that the family also experienced financial hardships (cable was disconnected) prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  The stepfather was unemployed at the time of Aveion’s bogus abduction and the mother was employed at a minimum wage job.  The investigation has uncovered instances of illegal drug activity by the stepfather prior to the incident, and Brandon Lockett has a prior drug conviction from Georgia as well as two arrests involving family violence in 2006 and 2007.  Aveion Lewis is 2 years of age and will be 3 years old on January 26^th.  According to a 2006 study by the Department of Health and Human Services, children younger than 4 years of age are at greatest risk of severe injury or death by their parents or caregivers.”

Last week, 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.  The CHIP program 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 in May 2008.  Robin says the court system put Aveion back with his mother, not CPS.  I spoke with a clerk at the court, and although they would not comment specifically on Aveion’s case, he did tell me that a court hearing does take place in these types of cases, and a judge makes the final decision as to where the child goes, or if the child is placed back into the home with their parents. The CHIP organization tried to go back into home to do monthly visits after Aveion was placed with his mother, but sadly Robin says they were turned away.  Aveion’s mother would not sign a consent form to enter the home again.  This is probably due to the fact that the CHIP organization filed the original complaint with Child Protective Servies about Aveion’s welfare.  The CHIP service is voluntary, not mandatory, and they work hard to ensure children are safe. Robin confirms that when Aveion was 15-months-old he was underweight, only eight pounds, 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 heartbroken 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.

Aveion Lewis (family photo)

The search is back on today to find Aveion Lewis, yesterday searchers were forced to stop looking for the toddlers body due to inclement weather in Roanoke, Virginia.  According to the Roanoke Police Department, teams will focus on the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue and a wooded area along the river today.  Aisha Johnson, a Spokesperson for the police department says, “(we) have utilized the assistance of trained search teams from across Virginia and other states… the department thanks the community for its overwhelming support during this investigation… additional assistance from citizens is not requested at this time.”  Investigators charged Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect after a false report was filed that Aveion was abducted.  Police canceled an Amber Alert for the child after Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the bogus abduction took place.  Authorities say they were able to get this information and come to this conclusion after conflicting statements were given to authorities early on.  Although police say Lockett admitted Aveion was dead before the Amber Alert was issued, investigators do not know exactly where the child’s body could be. 

Brandon Lockett (booking photo)

According to an unsealed search warrant from the Roanoke City Circuit Court I obtained this morning, the information paints a clearer picture into Aveion’s life before his death, “Aveion Lewis was removed from the custody of his biological mother and stepfather, Morgan and Brandon Lockett, in May 2008 due to a “failure to thrive.”  Aveion was 14 months old, weighed less than 9 pounds, and the parents were not complying with the medical instructions for his care.  After approximately 45 days in foster care, Aveion doubled his weight.  Investigation has indicated Aveion recently sustained contact burns on both legs, which resulted in blistering from a home heater.  Aveion was described as having a “high threshold for pain” and medical attention was not sought for the burns due to a prior history with DSS.  Aveion Lewis was removed from the home by authorities in May 2008 and returned in September 2009, sixteen months later.  A significant change in the Lockett’s family structure occurred in September 2009, when Aveion was returned to the home.  This was approximately 4 months prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  Investigative interviews determined that upon Aveion’s return to the home 4 months ago, the Locketts had begun toilet training.  Research in child homicide has reflected that toilet training accidents are often the provocation for physical punishments, sometimes resulting in death.  Aveion Lewis was born with a medical condition which resulted in surgery to remove a portion of his intestines and thereafter he required a strict schedule of feeding and proper medication.  Failure of the parents to comply with this schedule resulted in his removal of the home.  The Locketts have four children, including Aveion, all under the age of four.  The family also experienced financial hardships (cable was disconnected) prior to Aveion’s disappearance.  The stepfather was unemployed at the time of Aveion’s disappearance and the mother was employed at a minimum wage job.  The investigation has uncovered instances of illegal drug activity by the stepfather prior to the incident.  Brandon Lockett has a prior drug conviction from Georgia as well as two arrests involving family violence in 2006 and 2007.  Aveion Lewis is 2 years of age and will be 3 years old on January 26^th.  According to a 2006 study by the Department of Health and Human Services, children younger than 4 years of age are at greatest risk of severe injury or death by their parents or caregivers.”

Yesterday 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 in May 2008.  Robin says the court system put Aveion back with his mother, not CPS, 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.  This is probably due to the fact that the CHIP organization filed the original complaint with CPS about Aveion’s welfare.  The CHIP service is voluntary, not mandatory, and they work hard to ensure children are safe. Robin confirms that when Aveion was 15-months-old he was underweight, only eight pounds, 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 heartbroken 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.