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