Aveion Malik Lewis-Reported Deceased-Body found/ ID'd (Stepfather charged)

[MuffyBee]

http://primewriter.com/news-1246-headlines/?s=Aveion+Lewis

Aveion Malik Lewis update: Brandon Lockett charged in boy’s death

Last Thursday, police and the FBI were searching for Aveion Malik Lewis, believed to be abducted during a home invasion. An Amber Alert was issued and the search was underway. Less than a week later, Aveion’s stepfather, Brandon Lockett, has confessed that Aveion is dead. Now, the case has shifted to a death investigation and a massive search is underway to locate Aveion’s body. Brandon Lockett has been charged with improper disposal of a human body, obstruction of justice, and felony child neglect. He remains in custody.
<snip>
It is too early in the investigation to determine how Aveion Lewis died. Since his body has not been found and the cause of death is unknown, the case is not a murder investigation but a death investigation.
<snip>

[MuffyBee]

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/brandon_lockett_is_charged_with_neglect_improper_disposal_of_a_body_and_obs/76169/

Roanoke Police charge Aveion Lewis’ step-father
By Meagan Farley | WSLS10 Anchor
Published: January 20, 2010
Updated: January 20, 2010

he search for Aveion Lewis continues as his Stepfather Brandon Lockett is charged with neglect, improper disposal of a body, and obstruction of justice.

Dogs and recovery crews searched the ground and the banks of the Roanoke River Wednesday, focusing on a two mile area surrounding Lockett’s home. Captain Curtis Davis with the Roanoke Police Department, says more than one hundred people at any given time are out searching.  “There is a dedicated team constantly on this trying to find the body.“

“We use grid maps to determine certain lengths to search and then we look at terrain. All of this to find where a person could go in there.“

As of Wednesday afternoon, recovery crews have come up empty handed and Captain Davis says Brandon Lockett isn’t helping much on that end.   

“I’m very frustrated. We’re not getting much information and I’m frustrated with some of the information we are getting then were not successful when we get it.“

[Tracygirl]

Oh poor baby! What a little doll face he was, just horrible. I am so sad right now

Prayers for you sweet baby, may you play on the wings of angels above. RIP

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.macon.com/local/story/993149.html
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010
Former Macon man charged in Va.
By AMY LEIGH WOMACK - awomack@macon.com


A former Macon man has been charged with child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice in connection with the disappearance of a 2-year-old boy in Roanoke, Va., according to Roanoke police.

Brandon Real Lockett, 24, initially told Roanoke police that three men knocked him unconscious, ransacked his house and restrained a 4-year-old girl before taking his stepson Jan. 14. He said the men also left a ransom note demanding $10,000, according to a report in The Roanoke Times.

In the days since 2-year-old Aveion Lewis’ disappearance, authorities issued an Amber Alert and launched a ground search for the boy.

Tuesday, Lockett told police the toddler was dead before he was reported missing. That same day, police said that they questioned Lockett’s story, according to a news release.

Lockett is being held at the Roanoke City Jail without bond.

Other charges may be presented before a grand jury in February, Roanoke Commonwealth’s Attorney Don Caldwell told the Roanoke newspaper.

Although searches continued Wednesday, Aveion’s body hasn’t been found.

Virginia court records show that Lockett married the boy’s mother in April 2008.

Before the marriage, Georgia court records describe several run-ins that Lockett had with the law in Bibb County.

Bibb County State Court records show Lockett pleaded guilty to family violence-related simple battery and criminal trespass in 2006 and 2007. The victim was described in court records as the mother of Lockett’s infant child, a different woman than Aveion. He was sentenced to probation.

Lockett also was charged with obstructing a law enforcement officer Aug. 21, 2006, for running away from police. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 days in jail, according to court records.

On March 13, 2007, his probation was revoked because he failed to report for probation. Lockett was ordered to serve 60 days in jail and then return to probation, according to the records.

Lockett was indicted in Bibb County Superior Court on June 13, 2007, on charges that he possessed marijuana and cocaine with intent to distribute the cocaine, according to court records.

He pleaded guilty to simple possession of cocaine July 10, 2007, and was sentenced to three years on probation, according to court records.

Phone calls to Lockett’s mother, who lives in Macon, were unanswered Wednesday.

Search teams continued looking for Aveion’s body Wednesday along the Roanoke River and in wooded areas near the boy’s home, according to The Roanoke Times.

Jeanne Kauffmann and her black Labrador, Lakota, searched the muddy banks of the river with a Roanoke police detective and a police cadet.

They hiked around the winding bank, which at times was steep and covered in brush, looking under tarps, and directing Lakota to sniff out areas that looked suspicious.

At one point, Kauffmann pointed Lakota to a dirty pillow, but the dog didn’t signal that anything was there.

Roanoke police detective Rich Cooper said the investigation has been frustrating for police.

“We just want to find him,” he said.
Information from writer Amanda Codispoti of The Roanoke Times was used in this report.

To contact writer Amy Leigh Womack, call 744-4398.

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/233714
Stepfather charged in Aveion Lewis case; 2-year-old missing boy's body still sought
Brandon Lockett, who has a history of violence, has been charged in the child's disappearance.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
As the search for Aveion Lewis' body continued Wednesday, Roanoke police charged his stepfather in the toddler's disappearance.

Brandon Lockett, 24, is charged with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Other charges may be considered by the grand jury in February, Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell said.

Lockett's criminal record tracks back to Georgia, where court records show that, among other convictions, he was found guilty in 2006 of striking the mother of his child with a candleholder.

The search for Aveion began last Thursday, when Lockett told police that three men knocked him unconscious and abducted his 2-year-old stepson from their Jamestown Place duplex in Southeast Roanoke.
Police questioned the validity of that information, and on Tuesday, Lockett told authorities that the child was dead even before he was reported missing.

Police have not released any information on how the boy may have died, and his body had not been found as of Wednesday night.

Neither Caldwell nor Roanoke police Capt. Curtis Davis would explain why Lockett has been charged with child neglect, or whether that led to the toddler's death, because of the ongoing investigation.

"The charges are appropriate for what we have developed at this time," Davis said.

Lockett has been cooperating in some aspects of the investigation but not others, Davis said.
Lockett has a criminal record in Georgia, where he is still on probation for possession of cocaine, according to court documents.

He also has a history of violence.

Court records from Bibb County, Ga., show that in 2006 Lockett was accused of striking Janet Balkcom, the mother of his infant, with a candleholder.

He pleaded guilty to the family violence simple battery charge and was sentenced to one year of probation, according to court records. He was also required to attend a family violence intervention program and pay a fine.

About a month later, Lockett forced his way into Balkcom's home and fought with a man, according to court records. Balkcom called police from a neighbor's house.

Officers noticed a large amount of blood on the floor, and that a table lamp was broken. The victim fled from the house and wasn't seen again.

Lockett pleaded guilty to family violence criminal trespassing in that case.

He served 60 days in jail and then returned to probation.
In two separate instances in Roanoke last year, Lockett was pulled over for speeding and for driving on a learner's permit without a licensed driver. Police also cited him both times for not having a child restraint in the car, according to court records.

Lockett is being held at the Roanoke City Jail without bond.

Meanwhile, the search for Aveion's body continued Wednesday with more than 60 volunteers.

Search teams, including those on horses and with cadaver dogs, were sent out to the banks of the Roanoke River, wooded areas near the boy's Jamestown Place duplex and to an industrial area.

Volunteer Jeanne Kauffmann and her black Labrador retriever, Lakota, searched the muddy and sometimes steep banks of the river with a Roanoke police detective and a police cadet.

They looked under tarps, and through trash that littered the area. Sometimes Kauffmann directed Lakota to sniff out spots that looked suspicious, or go through tractor trailers parked in an industrial area.

At one point, she pointed Lakota to a dirty pillow, but the dog didn't signal that anything was there.

Detective Rich Cooper, who was searching with Kauffmann, said the ongoing investigation has been frustrating for police.

"We just want to find him," he said.

Freezing rain is expected today, which could hamper search efforts.

Davis said police would continue following up on leads even in inclement weather.
"Until we find him, we're going to continue working this case as much as we possibly can," Davis said.

He believes that there are people who have information, or who could get information, that could lead police to Aveion's body. He urged them to call police at 853-2212.

News researcher Belinda Harris and reporter Amy Leigh Womack of The (Macon, Ga.) Telegraph contributed to this report.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/20/crimesider/entry6120456.shtml



(Family Photo/The Roanoke Times)

[trimmonthelake]

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/233798
Warrant: Aveion Lewis case investigated as homicide; toddler had been in foster care
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Police are investigating the death of Roanoke toddler Aveion Lewis as a homicide, and he was living in an unstable home life that at one time prompted authorities to put the child in foster care, according to details in a search warrant unsealed today.
 
The toddler has been missing since Jan. 14, when his mother and stepfather reported to police that he'd been abducted. Police say they have since learned from the child's stepfather, Brandon Lockett, that Aveion died before police were contacted. His body had not been found as of Thursday afternoon.

On Wednesday, police charged Lockett with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body, and obstruction of justice. Aveion's mother, Morgan Lockett, has been interviewed by police but has not been charged.
 
The search warrant, filed Wednesday in Roanoke City Circuit Court, says that Aveion was born with a medical problem that required surgery to remove part of his intestines. As a result, he had a strict feeding schedule and needed medication.

When he was 14 months old, he weighed less than nine pounds, and authorities found that his parents were not following the medical instructions for his care, the search warrant says.
 
Aveion was removed from his home for 16 months, in which time he doubled his weight, according to the document.
 
He returned to his parent's home on King Charles Avenue in Southeast Roanoke in September, according the search warrant.
At that time, the Locketts were having financial problems and they were taking care of three other children, according to the document.
 
The police's investigation has indicated that Aveion recently suffered burns on both legs from a home heater, the search warrant says.  The toddler did not receive medical treatment because of his prior history with the Department of Social Services. The search warrant says Aveion was described as having a "high threshold for pain."
 
Police searched the Lockett's home and took a number of items including cell phones, a handwritten letter, children's clothing, a pillow, a mattress, a green leafy substance, baby bottles, and prescription medicine.
 
The FBI is helping the police investigate Aveion's death, and it provided statistics about cases of false allegations to cover up the death of a child. Those statistics, which were included in the search warrant, are as follows:
 
-- In 44 percent of the cases, there is a history of previous physical abuse or maltreatment
-- In 53 percent of the cases, there was a prolonged period of separation from the parents
-- In 41 percent of the cases the victim had been described by the offender as being "difficult" or "different"
-- In 92 percent of the cases, the families have other domestic problems including financial, drug related, multiple toddlers and family violence issues

[Tracygirl]

Why doesn't he just say what he did to the child? He already has confessed everything else. At least allow the child the dignity of a proper funeral. So sad, he was just precious.

[MuffyBee]

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/chip_devastated_by_aveion_lewis_scenario/76378/
(Video available in article)

CHIP devastated by Aveion Lewis scenario
By Meagan Farley  | WSLS10 Anchor
Published: January 21, 2010
Updated: January 21, 2010
“We did find him to be considerably underweight,“ said Robin Haldiman, CEO of Child Health Investment Partnership.

CHIP enrolled Aveion and case managed him while he was in foster care.  “When he was placed in foster care he grew and thrived and became developmentally on target.“  Several months ago, Aveion was sent back to live with his biological mother and stepfather, Brandon Lockett.  Lockett is now charged with neglect, improper disposal of a body and obstruction of justice.

“We are all so devastated that this happened and that he ended up back in the home.“

Haldiman says the situation Aveion found himself in isn’t that rare.  “The staff deals with these awful situations more than we would like to.“

“We have to advocate for tougher laws against child abuse and tougher laws to terminate parental rights.“

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0110/698414.html
(Video Available in Article)

Warrants Reveal Toddler Had Troubling Home Life
Roanoke, VA - Roanoke police have suspended their search for the body of little Aveion Lewis, because of the weather. They'll pick up the search again when things clear.

Meanwhile, there is new information about Aveion's disappearance and his stepfather. Brandon Lockett is now in jail, charged in connection with the boy's death. One of the more startling accusations is that Brandon Lockett may have been setting his alibi in motion at least a day before Avieon was reported missing.

Lockett's neighbor, James Tyree claims Lockett was already setting the stage for Avieon's abduction a full day before the boy went missing.
"He tried to say he had an anonymous call. He showed me his phone. Yes it had an anonymous call... but I thought that was suspicious," Tyree said.

Suspicious because, as Tyree describes it, Lockett claimed the call came from the would-be kidnapper.

"I think he was trying to set the whole situation up himself."

According to courts documents, police searched the Lockett's home looking for several items including guns, bullets, tools used to dismember or maim, as well as books or other media related to child kidnappings.

The documents also describe the 16-months Aveion spent in foster care. He was taken from the Locketts for not complying with medical instructions to keep Aveion healthy. He had a section of his intestine removed and needed a special diet. At 14 months, Aveion weighed less than 9-pounds and was placed in foster care due to a "failure to thrive." Within 45-days in foster care his weight doubled, but a prolonged court battle was won by the Lockett's and Aveion was returned last September.

The records say that since then, Aveion suffered from blistering burns on both legs caused by a home heater. The Lockett's claimed that medical attention was never sought out because Aveion had "a high threshold for pain" and because the family had previous run-ins with the Department of Social Services.

Other information related to Lockett's past also came out in the documents, including the fact that Lockett was under the influence of drugs the night Aveion was reported missing. Those documents also list this investigation as a murder investigation and not one of a missing person.

Lockett was also convicted of two charges in 2006 and 2007 in Georgia; both involving "family violence."

[Mtnmom]

2-Year-Old Aveion Malik Lewis Dead; Kidnapping a Hoax

Brandon Lockett Admitted to Authorities that Aveion Lewis was Dead Before 911 Call
The stepfather of missing 2-year-old Aveion Malik Lewis has now admitted that the child was dead before placing a call to 911 and spinning a kidnapping hoax to elude capture, according to Roanoke (Virginia) Police. Brandon Lockett, 24, told authorities on January 14 that
2-Year-Old Aveion Malik Lewis Dead; Kidnapping a Hoax
Date: January 23, 2010
Roanoke, VA
United States of Americathree black men broke into the duplex where he and his family live, knocked him unconscious, bound and gagged his 4-year-old daughter, and kidnapped 2-year-old Aveion Lewis. But on Tuesday, January 19, according to the Roanoke Times,after being brought in for questioning, Brandon Lockett told police that the child was dead before police were summoned.

Investigators are still searching for the child's body. Police have not released any details as to how the child may have died. Aveion Lewis' mother, Morgan Lockett, was also questioned. She has not been charged. Brandon Lockett was charged with child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Police continue the search around the home where little Aveion Lewis was last seen alive. The Roanoke Times reported that a search warrant was issued Thursday to search the home and surrounding grounds. Police continue to search along the Roanoke river as well. The search warrant labeled Aveion Malik Lewis' death a homicide but did not state how police believe the child died.

Aveion had only been back in his mother's care since September. The child had a medical problem that required half his intestines to be removed when he was born and had to be kept to a strict, controlled diet. Social Services found the child to be frightening underweight at 14 months of age and placed him with foster parents. For 16 months, Aveion Lewis had been placed in foster care and had thrived, doubling his weight.

Morgan Lockett's brother, Chris Ward, does not believe that the child just died. "I believe that he could have done something to him," he said after finding out that his nephew was dead.

mtnmom- Thank you for sharing the news article about Aveion.  You didn't include a link, so I did some research and I think this is the one that goes with the article:  http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2622781  /2yearold_aveion_malik_lewis_dead_kidnapping.html?cat=8

[trimmonthelake]

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/search_for_body_of_aveion_lewis_suspended_saturday_night/76722/
Home > News> Local
Search for body of Aveion Lewis suspended Saturday night
 By Chris Whitley  | Digital Journalist
Published: January 23, 2010
Updated: January 23, 2010
» 4 Comments | Post a Comment

People from all over the Commonwealth, and some from as far away as Pennsylvania, are now helping in the search for the body of Aveion Lewis.  Friday, we told you a search warrant showed police are now investigating the death of the 2 year-old as a murder.  The search for his body continued Friday along the banks of the Roanoke River.
As we’ve reported, Aveion’s step-father, Brandon Lockett, is charged with felony child neglect and improper disposal of a body.
Saturday, the search for Aveion’s body reached day four.  More than 80 people spread out to look for the boy. “We have everything from search dogs, to mounted patrols.  We may even use aviation assets.  We also have swift water rescue teams out as well”, said Sgt. Chris Bolling.
The search teams are working a 1.5 mile area around the home where Aveion was last seen alive.  That search could be interrupted by bad weather moving in to the area. “Supposed to have torrential rains tonight and tomorrow.  The search will be suspended after this evening.  Then it will be re-evaluated as to what and how we will continue it”, said Bolling.
Anyone with information about Aveion Lewis is asked to call Roanoke Police at 853-2212.

Video at link

[Nut44x4]

Police search Roanoke Co. landfill for missing toddler Aveion Lewis Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Officials are searching the Smith Gap landfill in Roanoke County for the body of missing Roanoke toddler Aveion Lewis.
 
Investigators earlier identified trash in the landfill that came from Roanoke and isolated it for further probing, according to Roanoke police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson. They had to call off their efforts due to poor weather.
 
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children assisted with teams who are familiar with landfill searches, Johnson said.
 
Search teams continue to scour areas around the boy's King Charles Avenue home, including an industrial park and the Roanoke River.
 
Johnson noted that today would have been the toddler's third birthday.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/234361

[Northern Rose]

Press conference in 10 minutes according to HLN.  May have found Aveion's body.

[Northern Rose]

Roanoke police to hold 5 p.m. news conference about missing toddler Aveion Lewis

Roanoke police have scheduled a 5 p.m. press conference today about their investigation into the death of Aveion Lewis.

Authorities spent Tuesday, which would have been the toddler's third birthday, searching for any sign of Lewis at a Roanoke County landfill.

Brandon Lockett, Aveion's stepfather, and Morgan Lockett, his mother, reported to police Jan. 14 that Aveion was abducted. Police said Brandon Lockett later told them that the toddler had died.
Brandon Lockett was charged with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice. Police haven't said how Aveion might have died, but a search warrant said they are investigating the toddler's death as a homicide.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/234529

[Lovinlife]

Press conference in 10 minutes according to HLN.  May have found Aveion's body.

Thx NR!

[Northern Rose]

4:48 p.m.

Court records show Brandon Lockett, the step-father of Aveion Lewis, has been charged with murder.

The charge’s filing date is listed at January 25th (Monday), and the offense date is listed as January 14, 2010.

———

3:41 p.m.

Roanoke City Police have called a news conference for 5 p.m. to discuss the Aveion Lewis case.

The police department is not allowing reporters to show the news conference live.  WSLS will have a crew inside to bring you what is said.

Officers have been searching Smith Gap Landfill again today, following Tuesday’s restart of the search in Roanoke County.  The landfill had identified trash brought in from Roanoke when Aveion Lewis disappeared, and had set it aside for investigators to search.

http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/roanoke_police_to_discuss_aveion_lewis_case_at_5_p.m/77382/

[Northern Rose]

Aveion was wearing sponge bob pj's when he went missing and would have turned 3 yesterday per HLN

[klaasend]

http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=11889797

January 27, 2010
Body of small child found at Smith Gap landfill in Roanoke County

UPDATED: Wednesday @ 5 p.m.

Police have found the body of a small child at the Smith Gap landfill in Roanoke County.  The body was found in trash from that neighborhood.

The body was sent to the medical examiner for a positive ID.                 

Police had been searching that landfill for the body of Aveion Lewis who disappeared on January 14.  At the time, his stepfather, Brandon Lockett, allegedly made up a story about the toddler being kidnapped.  Police later discovered there was never a kidnapping and they believe Aveion was dead before 911 was called.

According to court documents, Lockett has been charged with murder.  Last week, police charged Lockett with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

The murder charge will be presented to a grand jury on February 1st.   

***************

The Roanoke Police Department will hold a news conference at 5 p.m. involving the investigation into the death of Aveion Lewis.

Stay with News7 and WDBJ7.com for the latest.

[Northern Rose]

5:05 p.m.

Roanoke Police say a small child’s body found by searchers in trash, but it has not been officially ruled as Aveion Lewis. 


http://www2.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/roanoke_police_to_discuss_aveion_lewis_case_at_5_p.m/77382/