The failure of state child welfare systems to protect children from severe physical abuse, the constant threat of sexual abuse, and emotional abuse causes psychological damage and personal injury that permanently harm families. According to a March 2026 report by WRAL, the consequences of these institutional oversights are seen by the ongoing nightmare of Felicia Chandler, whose biological son, Blake Deven, was starved, brutally neglected, and murdered by his adoptive mother, Avantae Deven, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After Avantae’s recent arrest and indictment for the deaths of Blake and his adoptive sister London, two of Chandler’s other biological sons, who were also adopted by the abusive foster parent, have been put back into the state’s foster care system. Stripped of her legal parental rights, Chandler is now publicly pleading for help to reconnect with her surviving sons, expressing deep concern for their mental health as one prepares to permanently age out of the system this year. While local child welfare officials emphasize that state programs like NC LINKS can provide extended housing and educational support for foster youth up to age 21, Chandler remains isolated from basic communication. Desperate to fill the gap from by years of isolation and systemic failure, Chandler has published an emotional open letter to her sons, hoping they realize she never stopped loving them and is still fighting to bring them back into her life.
Lovingood, C. (2026, March 13). Woman worries for sons in foster care after one was murdered, allegedly by adoptive mother. WRAL.com; WRAL. http://wral.com/news/investigates/birth-mother-blake-deven-other-sons-foster-care-march-2026/