I can’t begin to tell everyone how much it is hurting me right now to write this article but I feel this child deserves his name out here so that we all won’t forget him. If what I am reading tonight is true my heart is breaking.
I went to bed early tonight and as you all know I have been having a rough month as Friday will be 28 years ago since I lost my twins during child birth. I woke up in tears from my normal nightmares but felt something was different so I decided to get up and read my emails. I don’t mind saying that this time I honestly wish I wouldn’t have had any emails tonight but I did have an update on little 2 year old Aveion Malik Lewis.
Before January 14th I had never heard of little Aveion. His name came up in my alerts as a missing child, well actually as an abducted child. According to his stepfather that claimed three men broke into his home and knocked him unconscious and restrained a 4 year old girl but took Aveion and they left a ransom note demanding $10,000 if he wanted to get the child back.
The step-father, Brandon Lockett, 24, later admitted to the police that the story he told wasn’t true. He said the child was dead before he even called the police but he wasn’t helpful in trying to find the boy.
Police Chief Joe Gaskins said, “We had some reservations about the stories that were being told, but considering the child, we couldn’t afford to assume that an abduction had not occurred, so we certainly had to work it from the angle that there had been an abduction.â€
Lockett had been arrested and charges with child neglect, improper disposal of a human body, and obstruction of justice but according to a Roanoke police news release Lockett had not been charged with killing Aveion.
Police have been searching for days in a Virginia Landfill, sifting through piles of trash. The Roanoke police officers found what they think could possibly be the body of little 2 year old Aveion. They say it is the body of a small child that was in trash dumped from the area where Lockett and his wife and the child lived.
The child’s body has been taken to the medical examiner’s office to determine it’s identity and cause of death. Aisha Johnson, police spokeswoman, says they are waiting on the medical examiner’s office to get them the information before they release any more to the public.
Lockett remains behind bars and is being held without bond. I say with his history of violence perhaps he should stay there until all this is settled. Chief Gaskins did say that Lockett had not been cooperating with the investigators especially when it came to telling them where the boy’s body was. When Gaskins was asked about what Lockett had told them so far, he said only all sorts of stories most of which were fairy tales. In cases like this the prosecutors usually want a body in order to charge anyone with murder. So we can expect more charges against Lockett now if this is indeed that of little 2 year old Aveion.
I look at this child’s picture and cry. How can anyone hurt an innocent child? Here I am grieving for my babies still after all these years yet I look around and see so many killing babies from left to right. I know I am not alone in my grief. I know lots of women have lost a child so they understand what I am feeling. I have no sympathy for anyone that kills an innocent child. I have none for anyone that harms an innocent child either. These babies are born innocent. They are precious gifts to us from God, how dare anyone hurt one or rip the life out of them. It just isn’t fair to them.
Aveion’s father, James Lewis, 23 said he had a great relationship with his son until his mother, Morgan Lockett began dating Brandon Lockett. “It seemed like she was shutting me out of my kids lives,†he said. He talked about the custody battles her had with Morgan and the Department of Social Services.
Apparently the child had been taken from the mother and put in Foster care for 16 months after they found that the baby was severely underweight. In May 2008 the Social Services Dept received a call that Morgan Lockett had been neglecting her son and that he was severely underweight. After a search warrant had been issued they found the child only weighed 9 lbs.
The baby was born with a medical problem that required surgery to remove part of his intestines. As a result he required a strict feeding schedule and needed medication. When they found him so underweight they took him into protective custody so he could get the medical treatment that he really needed.
He remained in foster care until March after Social services developed a plan for his mother and Brandon Lockett that was approved by the Roanoke Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Brandon was ordered to take an 18 week program on domestic violence alternatives, which they say he completed while they both had to attend the parenting classes. The baby had doubled his weight while he was in foster care.
Although Aveion’s father tried to get custody, he was returned to his mother’s care but Social Services still kept legal custody. They made scheduled and unscheduled visits to see that the child’s medical needs were met but in September the judge awarded Morgan Lockett legal custody on the recommendation of Social Services.
Of course the Jane Conlin, Director of Social Services is not going to take responsibility for what happened to little Aveion.
“The person who is responsible for this is not the social worker,†she said. “I think we need to keep in mind that social workers aren’t mind readers. We work with the best knowledge and information we have and within the law. Nobody can, with 100% accuracy, predict the behavior of another person.â€
This might be true but I have to ask myself, would Aveion still be alive today if they had awarded the father custody? Or perhaps if they had just left him in foster care where he apparently was gaining weight and being well taken care of. To me this is another case where the system has failed a child, another innocent child paid the price with his life.
I’d like to know what did they think? Did they think making this man go through an 18 week program for domestic violence alternatives was going to make him change? Did they think a few weeks of parenting classes was going to make these two better parents? My God this baby was only weighing 9 pounds when they took him from the mother. She apparently didn’t care about what happened to her son. No class in the world can make someone a parent. That comes from within the mother and father’s heart. You have to love and care about a child to be able to be a parent to him which they obviously didn’t have enough love for Aveion. It truly breaks my heart.
They say there has been no charges brought against the mother at this time but if she knowingly was allowing her husband to mistreat her son, then she is just as responsible for this as he is. I pray to God that they get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what happened to little Aveion. God bless his little soul. My prayers are with him.
Jan Barrett
22 users commented in " Update: Body Found Believed to Be Aveion Malik Lewis "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackLook at that picture! He is so huggable. So many people out there who would have loved to have a kissy cheek baby like that! God bless you, sweet babe. You weren’t the trash that belonged in the landfill; your stepfather is.
Whiskey Mike, you are so right! Jan, thank you for your love for these kids. You are in my prayers may God heal your hurting heart.
RIP sweet baby, I will not forget you.
When I first heard the story from the stepfather, I knew it was a lie. The baby was gone and his stepfather had done it. Rest assured that his jailmates will give him a whipping and he’ll be paying for what he’s done in this life AND the next.
Yes he is chuggable! But before that photo was taken he was a neglected child who had to be taken away from his family for a while. I believe that’s when he gained some weight and started smiling! So why oh why do the powers that be keep giving these children back to the horrible people who abused him in the first place?
What can you say to something like this? I feel that Jan said what most of us feel. I understand social services but from just what I am reading, I personally would never have given that boy back to his mom. She didn’t care. There just seems to be no end to this type of behavior in our world. Anytime and unstable or heartless human has a baby, that child will be in danger. A mother should want to do everything to protect their children. Sadly, there are those that selfishly don’t. I am so sorry for what that baby had to go thru in his short life.
As my heart aches for little Aveion, it aches for Jan as well. Although I don’t know you in person Jan, I feel as though I know your heart through your writing. Aveion resides in heaven with your two sweet babies now. They are safe and loved in the arms of Jesus. God bless you Jan and Simon. Keep doing your wonderful work. Without you, many lost babies wouldn’t get the media attention they so desperately need to be found and brought home.
I am saddened today as I check in . This is horrible news. When will the parent that don’t really want the child let the other parent who wants and loves the child have custody? They do not want to pay child support or it is just to spite the other. A parent should always put the child first. I believe the mother of this child also needs to be punished for what happened to her son. The little girl needs to be with the other parent or caring guardian until the mother is completely investigated.
People like this need to stay abstinate or get neutered before having sex. These children are saddenly paying the ultimate price.
Jan I am praying that God brings you comfort. I am praying for all the missing and JUSTICE for those who have been found and their life taken by violence. God Bless them all.
Aveion was a blessing from GOD. I don’t get the justice/DHS system. They take baby Aveion out of the bad situation and then put in the same situation. How can a judge or a caseworker live with themselves after this. That 18 week program was a joke he knew what he was doing. He played the system and they believed it. Now baby Aveion is in heaven in the arms of our Savior who would hurt him, but who loves him.
I met to say Now baby Aveion is in heaven in the arms of our Savior that wouldn’t hurt him, but who loves him.
I think its sad that aveion is dead, it truly break my heart. But, you know the problem is us as a community, the people around the parents of this child knew that abuse has taking place. Why do we sit here after these babies turn up dead and say we should have done this or that? Just like shanyia davis, her father ask “why his baby” but yet he returned her to a crack head mother, Why not her? Most of these cases are failures. We know but don’t ask why or try and stop it before something tragic happens. We all have failed these children. Not only the state but the public as well.it should have been an out cry by the public when a starving child showed up on the news who was then returned to the mother, and her azz should have been locked up for starving him.I’m mad and pissed off as hell because the bottom line is; as a society we have no virtue, no love, or kindness. True compassion isn’t even in our heart. We are evil and we all fall short. What a sick group of beings we are..smh
Rose I understand what you mean but aveion should be here with us not in the arms of God its a tragedy. He was let down from the day he was born. We as adults should know better. Its our duty to protect the young,old and helpless. This isn’t a plan of God. Aveion is dead to soon and it doesn’t comfort me in knowing that he’s with God. He should be here. but, we failed to protect him and now this heavy burden we should all bare. and, it should weigh us down until we figure out how to stop such a disgusting act against our children. Anyone who harms a child should be put away for life not 25 to life but plain and simple life. I can’t say death because I am not gonna be that judge I hardly want to try and hold that position when I believe their is a god I must stand in front of on judgment day as well….but we as a society need to be responsible for those who can’t defend themselves.
i just can not believe anyone would want to kill a 2 yr old he needs life in jail dont make no since at all and the mama also if she only knew she have something comming for her if she can let that baby starve she might not even care about Aveion’s death people can be so mean just because things dont go their way they want to bring some one’s life in theor hands dont make no sine i give my heart to his grandma i love him so much …
shellyshelllost1 at 1:54 pm –
I agree whole-heartedly and that was such a good well-written post that applies to so so many cases we see – to the whole miserable situation – that I hope you save it and re-post it in future. I wish there would not be the occasion to post it but unfortunately I know there will be. I’m serious. Keep it and re-post it.
Hey m2c I agree I will keep it and repost it again and again when I have to. because we are such a heart less society I am sure i’ll be posting this again very soon. when I wrote that post I was on my black berry cell phone, I wasn’t able to see little aveions picture at the time, I am home on my laptop now and the picture showed up what a face. That poor baby’s face need to be a CONSTENT REMINDER in my brain forever so I can remember not to wait until something happens but do what I can before it happens. Be well!
shellyshelllost1:
I had not scrolled up to see your post @ 1:19.
Keep that one, too, and re-post it please!
Once again….my post has “disappeared”…
Mom is involved, of course and step-daddy is covering or involved as well.
I understand that some sites have random moderation and some use them especially overnight when the site owner or moderator is sleeping and cannot check them immediately.
Perfectly understandable and reasonable IMO.
It’s SOP – standard operating procedure – and happens with lots of people’s posts.
There is a 7-year-old boy missing from Brooklyn,NY 01-24-2010, his name is PATRICK ALFORD, he was last seen about 9pm last friday leaving the lobby of the Spring Creek development at 130 Vandalia Ave in East New York Brooklyn, he had been placed with a foster mother in the apartment complex just three weeks prior. There have been extreamly little coverage on this case, half the city doesn’t even know this child is missing no one is out looking for him, but the cops and community leaders when they have the time. PATRICK is 4 feet, 8 inches tall, 65 pounds, with a small scare above his left eyebrow, he was wearing a red T shirt, blue jeans and black sneakers. When patrick allegedly ran away he didn’t have on a coat the weather was at a bitterly 24 degrees lets find PATRICK and bring him home.
ANYONE WITH INFOORMATION ABOUT THIS CASE SHOULD CALL THE NYPD CRIMESTOPPERS HOTLINE
800-577-TIPS (8477) OR SEND INFORMATION TO http://WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM
NOTE: Patrick Alford is a Black boy 7- years- old, I failed to mention that in my last post because my fingers were typing faster than my mind, Please Excuse the mistake.
אתרים קידום…
… קידום אתרים – – כלי מילות המפתח והביטויים המקודמים שעבורן מבצעים את פעולות הקידום של האתר היא על-ידי שימוש בתוכן. התוצאה של שלבים אלו היא …
ive known morgan since we were kids and shes sweeter than gold you people dont know her or her situation she was getting abused by her so called husband behind closed doors and probably abused her kids and was to scared to tell someone she loves her kids more than anything what people fail to realize is that when you fear for your life you do whatever it takes to live she went to college graduated and worked around kids she know deep down what happend to her son shes a good fearing woman and when the time comes in court i know she will tell all
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