Police: Body found in Va. landfill is that of missing Va. boy; stepfather charged with neglect

Police: Body found in landfill is missing Va. boy

ROANOKE, Va. — Authorities say the body of a toddler found dead in a Virginia landfill is that of a 2-year-old who was reported missing last month by his stepfather.

Roanoke police said in a press release Thursday that the medical examiner’s office identified the boy as Aveion Malik Lewis. His body was found Jan. 27 in the Smith Gap Landfill.

The boy’s stepfather, 24-year-old Brandon Lockett, has been charged with felony child neglect, improper disposal of a human body and obstruction of justice.

Lockett told authorities that three men abducted the boy from the family’s home on Jan. 14. Police have said that there was no abduction, and that the child was likely dead before authorities received a 911 call.