'I thought she didn't want to see me': Missing Fayetteville woman's mother prays remains are not her daughter's

The biological mother of a missing Fayetteville woman spoke to WRAL News after authorities discovered skeletal remains on Friday.

Sherry Foster, London Deven’s biological mother, said she’s praying that one of the sets of remains does not belong to her daughter, who she hasn’t seen in over a decade and didn’t learn about her disappearance until Thursday, April 4.

“All these years I thought she didn’t want to see me [and] now I find out she’s missing,” she said. “You see it on the news and never think, ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen to me.’”

Authorities discovered the remains during the search for Blake Deven and London Deven. The last time anyone saw London Deven was in 2019, and the National Center for Missing Children reported Blake Deven missing in 2022.

On Thursday, April 18, police and the FBI sent a release asking the public for help in learning more about specifics on when and where Blake Deven and London Deven were last seen. Fayetteville police said the Deven family moved to Fayetteville in 2015 and moved to a home on Eichelberger Drive in November 2016. They lived at that home until June 2019.

According to the North Carolina Civil Court database, London Deven, born Moriah Elizabeth Foster, was adopted in 2011 by Avantae Emerald Deven, who adopted Blake Deven two years later in 2013.

According to Foster, false abuse allegations and an ex-husband in and out of legal trouble led to London leaving her care.

Foster said she met Avantae Deven before London’s adoption.

“She was wanting to adopt her,” she said. “She seemed like a nice person. You put somebody you love and cherish in somebody’s care and hope for the best.”

WRAL News has reached out to Avantae Deven on the disappearance of the two children but has not heard back.

Investigators have not confirmed if the remains belong to Blake Deven and London Deven, adding they did not discover the remains at a home where the Deven family lived.

Authorities said it could take weeks or months before the Medical Examiner’s Office identifies the remains. While it’s unclear who the remains belong to, the Federal Bureau of Investigation asked Foster to provide a DNA sample.

“When a child is born, one of the least favorite things you want to do is give DNA for a positive ID,” she said. “That’s not what you want to do.”

WRAL News asked the Fayetteville Police Department where investigators discovered the remains, how long authorities thought they were there and if there are any suspects or persons of interest yet.

As WRAL News asks authorities about the remains, Foster said she is turning to her faith and praying for a positive outcome.

“Even through this, even through the adoption, I had to give it up to God,” she said.

Anyone with information should contact the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or the Fayetteville Police Department tipline at 910-578-2697.