WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON

My name is Felicia Chandler, a mother of 3 boys, who have been forcibly taken from me. In 2011, the North Carolina Department of Social Services of Madison County removed my boys, which started off as a reunification case. I was determined to do whatever was necessary to get my boys back. This included even divorcing their father, which I was told was also necessary for the reunification, as well as parenting classes, attending CFT meetings, etc. I was made to believe that my boys would be returned to me. However, in 2013, that was not what happened. DSS took my boys and made a permanency plan with a woman who went by the name Avantae Emerald Deven,(Later it was revealed that she had 9 different alias names.) knowing I wanted my children and was diligently trying and determined to get my boys back. I had no advocate for me in the most terrifying time! 

HOW THE STATE DECEIVED ME

What had started as a reunification case, I was then told I would always remain in my boys’ lives with phone calls, visits, updates, etc. which never happened. Instead, their so-called “adoptive mother” abused them to the point my oldest son, Trenton, died in 2017. This is not the “loving forever home” we’ve been told adoption promises. No mother should have to experience such a tragedy and be questioned by the FBI and police if she has heard or seen her oldest son - the one who made me a mom. Then my worst fear became real when they asked me for my DNA. Shortly after HIS REMAINS WERE FOUND! I have started this petition to get my other boys back, who are now back in the system since the arrest of Avantae Deven. I love them and miss them. There was no reason for them to have been taken away from me in the first place.

REMOVING THEM WAS UNNECESSARY!

My boys were never exposed to hunger or mistreatment in my home before DSS intervened. Their removal from their family and their home has caused more harm than one can imagine. This has been a pain that no child or parent should ever have to endure. The irony is that DSS is supposed to protect children and keep families together, not rob parents of their rights and place their children into life-threatening circumstances.

DEMANDING JUSTICE FOR TRENTON

The tragic loss of my oldest son and the trauma experienced by my surviving sons leaves me no other choice but to continue fighting and ask others like you to fight with me to make sure this never happens to another family. My boys need to be back home with me and their family, especially after losing their brother. The state should provide all of us with appropriate therapy to address our traumas caused by their needless destruction of our family. It was unnecessary to rob me of my rights as their mother. DSS has denied me from having any contact with my boys, even since the murder of their brother. My boys and I should have resources to bridge the gap the system put between us. My parental rights need to be restored, and it should be made unlawful to terminate parental rights when their children are wrongfully taken by state agencies.

DEMANDING ACCOUNTABILITY

I have learned that many children have been wrongfully taken from their families. Countless children have also died and been killed in state care placements across the country. For decades the states have promised changes and fixes to their systems, but we’re still waiting to see any real change for the better. We keep hearing about more abuse, deaths, and murders of children in state care. It’s time for accountability and to stop this harm against our children and families. One child is too many!

MY BOYS ARE MY EVERYTHING. PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION TO TAKE A STAND WITH ME TO FIGHT TO GET MY BOYS BACK, GIVE MY PARENTAL RIGHTS BACK, and RESTORE OUR FAMILY. I LOVE MY BOYS and WANT THEM HOME. I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!