Investigators say they found the body of a small child today in a landfill in Roanoke, Virginia.  I spoke with police earlier this afternoon and they told me early on in the investigation they tracked the trash collected along the 2100 block of King Charles Avenue.  The trash company keeps very good records, and police were able to locate the trash truck in route to the landfill.  The truck emptied its contents, and over the last few days, investigators combed through the garbage.  Today, just after 12 p.m. the body of a small child, believed to be Aveion was located.  The body was sent to the Roanoke Valley Medical Examiner’s office, and at this point, we are awaiting 100% confirmation.  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.

Yesterday marked the toddler’s 3rd birthday. Expert teams are focused on the Smith Gap Landfill as part of the on-going search efforts early on.  The Roanoke Police Department had 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 yesterday, “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.”

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

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.

  

: 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.