NATALIE and CHASE DEBLASE - 5 and 3 yo (2010) - Mobile AL

The search for two missing siblings who were last seen in Mobile this summer intensified Wednesday after the arrest of the children’s stepmother in Kentucky, police said.



Natalie Alexis Deblase, 5, and Jonathan Chase Deblase, 3, have not been accounted for since July, spokesman Officer Christopher Levy said.


Levy said two Mobile detectives are in Louisville, Ky., working with police there after the arrest of 22-year-old Heather Leavell-Keaton, the stepmother. Leavell-Keaton was charged Tuesday by Mobile authorities with two counts of willful child abuse in connection with incidents when the children were living in Mobile with her and their father, John Deblase, Levy said. Levy said the charges against Leavell-Keaton stem from information learned during the investigation into the children’s disappearance. John Deblase, 27, has also not been located, Levy said. He said it is not known if he is with the children. “At this time we are not discounting anything,” Levy said. The case took an unusual turn Tuesday when a man, whose identity was not released, showed up at a Louisville police station and told officers there that the children were dead. Louisville police said the man’s account has been discounted, and there is no homicide investigation or body search going on in Kentucky. The man, who gave police no particular place to search for the children, was not charged. Levy said the case for now “is being treated as a missing persons case.” John Deblase, Leavell-Keaton and the children were listed as residents of Peach Place Extended Inn on Jeff Hamilton Road in west Mobile until they moved out in late July, Levy said. The family left a forwarding address in Rome, Ga., Levy said. A spokesman for the Floyd County Police Department in Rome said the department there is not taking part in any investigation regarding the children. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children posted online pictures of Natalie and Jonathan on Tuesday, listed them as “endangered missing.” The center described both children as having blonde hair and blue eyes, and it said the children’s current weights are about 35 pounds for Jonathan and 40 pounds for Natalie. Anyone who has information that can lead Mobile police to the children should call 251-208-7211. Informants can also call Louisville police at 502-574-7660 if information involves the investigation in Kentucky.

Jennifer Moffett of Mobile says she's friends with the mother of 5 year old Natalie Deblase and her little brother 3 Year old Jonathan Chase Deblase.
Moffett gave WKRG News 5 photos of the children she says were taken at a birthday party in November of 2009. Moffett says,"We loved, and we love them kids you know. Until said otherwise, I will believe they are still alive somewhere".

Moffett and her mother, Patricia Ward say the children attended the birthday party with their father who has custody of them, John Deblase. "Seemed like a great father you know. You know, struggling to take care of two children.....Pretty good dude you know from what we perceived of him, says Moffett.

Police say John Deblase lived in Mobile with his wife, Heather Leavell Keaton and the children. They stayed at Peach Place Extended Inn. "What we do know is they were here in Mobile. We're not able to find them", says Chris Levy, Mobile Police Spokesperson.

Mobile police started looking for them after a man notified police in Louisville, Kentucky that the children were dead. Louisville police haven't been able to substantiate that but, they arrested the stepmother and charged her with willful child abuse for incidents that happened in Mobile.

Moffett and Ward say when they saw the children they were well taken care of...and loved. "Our hope is that they're still alive and maybe he left them with somebody or we're still holding out that hope you know..that they're still alive", says Ward.

Two Mobile Police detectives are in Kentucky working with police there where the stepmother is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning. Meanwhile, the father is no where to be found.

Louisville woman charged with abusing children

Louisville, KY (WDRB-TV) Two Alabama children are missing and feared dead. Now, their step mother has been arrested in Louisville and is charged with abusing them.The step-mother points to the children's father as the killer. But she is the one behind bars, while the father is also missing.As police search for two missing children from Alabama, their step-mother, 22-year-old Heather Leavell-Keaton, remains behind bars at Metro Corrections charged with abusing them.But where 3-year-old Jonathan Deblase and his older sister 5-year-old Natalie Deblase are is still a mystery. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says they were last seen in March.Alabama police issued a warrant for Keaton. On Tuesday night, she was arrested on Breckenridge Lane at a building that houses offices for therapy sessions. The warrant says she lives at a home on South Third Street.Metro Police say detectives from Mobile also came up to interview Keaton. Last month, Keaton filed a domestic violence petition against the children's father John Deblase saying she fears he may have murdered his two children. They have another child together, a 3-month old daughter.In the petition, Keaton says she thinks he murdered the two kids because he said they were "non responsive."She says he would not let her check on them, saying choices were made, and "he had to do, what he had to do." Keaton also called him a "loose cannon."She says her mother called police because Deblase was holding her against her will.She says in a domestic violence order, "I am afraid he is going to do something to harm our daughter, because of what he has done to the other children."http://www.fox41.com/story/13604461/louisville-woman-charged-with-abusing-alabama-children

Father of Missing Children Being Questioned By Mobile Police



(MOBILE, Ala.) - Mobile Police have John Deblase in custody. There is still no sign of his two missing children. Police say he is not under arrest.

Natalie and Jonathan Chase Deblase were last seen in Mobile in July. Court documents reveal their stepmother Heather Leavell-Keaton fears their father killed them.

She is in jail in Kentucky charged with two counts of willful abuse of a child. Their biological mother says she does not know what to think.

"I don't want to think my children are dead. I don't even want to contemplate it. I'm just tying to keep hope," Corrine Heathcock said.

Staying hopeful in a seemingly hopeless situation, Heathcock says she is waiting for word on the fate her children.

"The waiting is the killing me. That's the worst part," Heathcock said.

As Heathcock waits, more information about her ex-husband John Deblase is coming out in court documents. Leavell-Keaton, who has an infant child with Deblase, told investigators in Kentucky she feared for her daughter's safety.

She wrote in a statement, "I am afraid that he is going to do something to harm our daughter" because "he may have murdered his children." She went on to write that Deblase found the children unresponsive and he "had to do what he had to do."

"Could I expect John Joseph Deblase of this? No. Do I know he's got a bad temper, yes. I don't want to believe it, not somebody that I trusted with my children," Heathcock said.

Heathcock shared a home video taken of her kids with John and Heather. In it, the kids are waving and smiling.

Dana Mullins says it was taken from a much happier time. She says she witnessed both verbal and physical abuse of the children when Deblase, his children and Leavell-Keaton stayed with her earlier this year.

"She had taken her by the hair of the head and was beating her with a studded belt. She let out a blood curling scream. So I stepped in," Mullins said.

"The police told me they don't think they're going to find the kids alive. If they don't, I want them so I can bury them. So, I don't go through the rest of my life wondering "what if," Heathcock said.

Mobile police say they are investigating the disappearance of the children as a missing persons case and are actively looking for Deblase; they also say he is not a suspect in any crime as of now.

Court documents show Heathcock and Deblase divorced June last year. Heathcock says Deblase had custody and that she has not seen them for more than a year.
http://www.local15tv.com/news/local/story/Father-of-Missing-Children-Being-Questioned-By/1Js3ofGtZU-_a0MO4L7gYg.cspx

DeBlase’s Friend tips off police to his whereabouts

Posted on December 3, 2010 at 5:52 PM
Updated today at 6:27 PM

Related:
Father of missing Ala. children talking to police, in custody

• Father of missing children in custody; considered person of interest
  
• Stepmother says she believes father killed his two children
  

Gallery

See all 62 photos »

(WHAS11) -- The father of two missing children is talking to police after his own friend tipped them off.John DeBlase was last seen in Louisville almost two weeks ago. But he was found Thursday night staying with a friend in northwest Florida. His kids are missing out of Mobile, Ala.DeBlase was staying with what the police report describes as one of his old wrestling buddies in Milton, Fla.When another friend saw a story about him on the news Thursday night, he called the man that DeBlase was staying with, who dialed 911.A mug shot is the latest picture of John deblase we have, since he hasn't officially been charged yet in connection with the disappearance of his son and daughter.But we did learn from a report issued Thursday night from the Santa Rosa County, Fla. sheriff's office that he said "I didn't do it" when he was picked up for questioning.DeBlase has been on the run since his ex-wife Heather Leavell-Keaton filed an emergency protection order against him in Louisville on Nov. 18.In it, she claims she believes DeBlase murdered his two children Natalie and Chase.A hearing on the case was held earlier this week.Police aren't the only ones who have wanted to talk to DeBlase.DeBlase's family members say they've been trying to visit the children since before they left an extended stay hotel they were living in, in Mobile to move to Louisville during the summer.Since suspicions emerged about the safety of Natalie and Chase, John DeBlase's father Richard has been tracking his cell phone bill, trying to find him.“I honestly believe he knows what's happened to them. They question is, will you tell us? Will you be man enough to tell us?” Richard DeBlase said.Meanwhile, Heather Leavell-Keaton was back in court Friday afternoon.It was a closed hearing involving a child abuse allegation in Louisville.She was charged with two counts of child abuse on warrants from Mobile earlier this week.Police say she allegedly struck Natalie and Chase with objects prior to their disappearance, causing serious injuries.John DeBlase's father said whatever happened to his two precious grandchildren it didn't have to happen.“He has been told repeatedly, Heather has been told repeatedly,” Richard DeBlase said. “If there's any reason you have problems with the kids. You’re always welcome here.”So far, DeBlase has not been charged with anything.Heather Leavell-Keaton, who is being held here at Metro Corrections, is expected to be extradited to Alabama next week.
http://www.whas11.com/news/DeBlases-Friend-tips-off-police-to-his-whereabouts-111291554.html

Police: Two Missing Children Are Dead




BREAKING NEWS Based on information from the father of two missing children, Mobile police say they believe the kids are dead.


MOBILE, Alabama - Friday 7:30 p.m.
Richard DeBlase learned that police believe his grandchildren are dead while watching the news. Police did not call him before announcing they've charged his son John, the children's father, in connection with their deaths.

“God have mercy on their souls," Richard DeBlase told News 5. "There is no sense in this happening.”

Friday 5:40 p.m.
During a press conference, Mobile police said they believe two missing children are dead.

Police told reporters they believe the children are dead based on information from the children's father, John DeBlase, 28.

Investigators say the children's bodies are buried within 100 miles of Mobile. Police will begin searching for the bodies tomorrow.

Friday 1:16 p.m.
A police report released by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office details how investigators found John Deblase.

The detective who wrote the report says Randall Melville called police Thursday night about a "suspicious person." Melville, who went by the name Cory Jackson in his wrestling career, told Police John Deblase, 28, had been living in his home. Melville said he was called by another friend who saw Deblase on WKRG News 5.

"He received a phone call from Brian Reese stating John was on the channel 5 news out of Mobile, Alabama in reference to kidnapping and possible homicide," the detective wrote. "Melville said he asked John about this information which John then got up yelling 'I DIDN'T DO IT' and left the residence."

Melville, who followed Deblase as he left the house, directed investigators to the interesection of West Spencerfield Road and Giddens Road. When officers from the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office approached Deblase "he made a spontaneous statement of 'I DIDN'T DO IT," according to the report.

Investigators from the Mobile Police Department went to the Santa Rosa County Jail to question Deblase. Mobile Police will not say where Deblase is now.



Friday 12:00 p.m.Friends of John Deblase tell News Five he has been living in Milton, FL since November 21.

Deblase was picked up at the intersection of Giddens and West Spencerville Roads after he left a friend's home where he had been staying since last Wednesday.

Deblase's friends say John Deblase told them that his children, who haven't been seen since July, were living with his father in Mobile. News Five spoke to Richard Deblase, John's father, this morning. He says he hasn't seen his grandchildren in a year.

Friday 8:00 a.m.
Police have found the father of two missing children last seen four months ago in West Mobile.

A source close to the family says John Deblase, 28, was picked up by police last night in Milton, FL. Police began looking for Deblase after his ex-wife went to police in Louisville, KY and said he killed his children.

Mobile police confirm they are talking to Deblase, but will not release any other details.

News Five will continue following this developing story. We will have the latest details on News Five at Noon.

Thursday 12:00 p.m.
Police documents from Louisville, Kentucky reveal disturbing information about the father of two missing children.

Heather Leavell-Keaton, 22, went to police on November 18 and asked for a restraining order against her ex-husband John Deblase, 28.

According to police records, Keaton told investigators "I feel he may have murdered his children because he said that they were nonresponsive." Keaton went on to say that John Deblase told her "choices were made this morning and he had to do what he had to do."

Natalie Deblase, 5, and Jonathan Chase Deblase, 3, were last seen at least four months ago when they lived at the Peach Place Inn on Jeff Hamilton Road in West Mobile.

Two investigators from the Mobile Police Department are in Louisville, Kentucky working with local police there on the investigation. Tuesday night, police arrested Leavell-Keaton and charged her with two counts of child abuse in connection with the missing children, but police have not found the children's father.

Officer Chris Levy, a spokesperson for the Mobile Police Department, said on Wednesday that Mobile police were alerted of the children's disappearance after Leavell-Keaton's stepfather, walked into a Louisville police station and told police the children were dead. We do not know whether the stepfather made the report before or after Leavell-Keaton went to police.

Leavell-Keaton waived extradition during a court hearing on Wednesday. She will be brought to Mobile to face the child abuse charges.

Officer Levy insists this is a missing persons investigation, not a homicide investigation, and John Deblase is not considered a suspect.

http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/step-mother-he-may-have-murdered-his-children/1203021/Dec-03-2010_7-31-pm/

Police Focused On Finding Children’s Bodies



Mobile police say two children, missing since July, are dead. Their father is believed to have played a role in their deaths. Police will start searching for the bodies on Saturday.


MOBILE, Alabama - Mobile Police Chief Micheal T. Williams said they believe 5-year-old Natalee and 3-year old Chase DeBlase are dead. They will start searching for the bodies on Saturday.

"Tomorrow and for the next few days, the investigators will put a team together, they'll be out looking for the children based on what they've been told," said Mobile Police Chief Micheal T. Williams.

Friday evening, they charged the children's father, John DeBlase, with two felonies, abuse of corpse and aggravated assault. Police interviewed him for several hours before his arrest.

"(Do you believe yo know where the children are, the bodies?) We're not sure exactly, but he's given us an indication of a location where they may be, where he remembers burying the children. So the investigators will go out and they will scout those areas with a team of people, with cadaver dogs and with the teams that do that for a living."

"(So you do believe at this point that these two young children are dead?) Based on what he has told us, um, we believe that. (Is it here in Mobile, or in Mobile County, or somewhere in the state of Alabama? Did he say where they are?) Well, at this point I can't say. But we believe that, based on what he has said, within 100 miles of Mobile."

Police are not sure who killed the children.

"Investigators are continuing to talk with him. At this point, he's somewhat cooperative. So we want to gain as much information while he's talking to us so we can locate these children. We want to make sure we find these children's bodies. That's what's important right now."
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/police-focused-on-finding-childrens-bodies/1203052/Dec-03-2010_7-56-pm/

Police Believe Father Buried His Two Children



Mobile Police Chief talks about the arrest of John DeBlase.


snipped...
MOBILE, Alabama - Mobile Police arrested John DeBlase Friday night and charged him with two counts of aggravated child abuse, and two counts of abuse of a corpse.
Police believe DeBlase buried his two children, Natalie and Chase.
DeBlaze said the children's stepmother killed them.
Do police believe the children are dead?
Mobile Police Chief Micheal T. Williams said, "Based on what he had told us, we believe that."
So, now begins the search for the children's bodies.
http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/police-believe-father-buried-his-two-children/1203053/Dec-03-2010_10-09-pm/

The father of two children who haven't been seen in months was arrested late Friday and charged with abuse of a corpse and aggravated child abuse.John Deblase was questioned by Mobile, Alabama police most of the day about the whereabouts of his kids, Natalie and Jonathan Chase Deblase. The kids were last seen in Mobile in July, shortly before Deblase and his wife moved to Louisville.The chief of police in Mobile says Deblase gave investigators indications the children were dead. Chief Micheal T. Williams says Deblase also gave them a vague idea of where the children's bodies may be. If or when the bodies are found, Williams says they will update the charges to murder.He also adds the children's stepmother, Heather Leavell-Keaton, could also face murder charges.The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Department picked up John Deblase late Thursday night.According to a police report, Deblase had been staying with a friend near Milton, Florida. That friend asked him about news reports on his two missing children. The police report says John Deblase, got up, yelling "I didn't do it," and left the home.Sheriff's deputies picked him up a short time later, when the report says Deblase told them the same thing.Friday, Mobile police traveled to Milton, Florida to question Deblase and then brought him back to Mobile. According to court documents filed by Leavell-Keaton in Louisville, she suspected the children were dead.Leavell-Keaton said in a request for emergency protection, filed in Jefferson County courts, that she felt Deblase may have murdered his children. She alleges the children were non-responsive and Deblase would not let her check on them. The court document does not indicate where or when that may have happened.Leavell-Keaton said in the document she was fearful for herself and the couple's three month old baby.Leavell-Keaton is behind bars in Louisville for child abuse charges out of Alabama and will return to Mobile at some point.She was in family court in Louisville Friday for a temporary removal hearing for all three children. That hearing is confidential, however, court staff says those hearings are usually requested by the state when there are allegations of abuse.Leavell-Keaton's family left the courtroom through a back door and had no comment.

NEW DEVELOPMENTS Mobile Police and other agencies have been searching in Mississippi for the bodies of 2 missing children.

MOBILE, Alabama - Saturday 7:06 p.m.
Mobile Police say officers and members of the Gulf Coast Search and Rescue Team were searching this morning in an area just north of Vancleave, Mississippi. Crews started their search at 7:30 and continued throughout the day, officers and dogs were unable to find any trace of the DeBlase children.

News 5 initially believed the children were missing since July, but we have now learned that it's been longer than that. Police believe the children were buried in late June.

http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/step-mother-he-may-have-murdered-his-children/1203021/Dec-05-2010_12-32-am/

Note...The mother and grandmother have left comments on this site.

Search for missing Mobile children conducted in Jackson County, Miss.



snipped...

Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said he received information Saturday that the body of Jonathan DeBlase might have been tossed on the side of Miss. 57 just north of Vancleave.
“From what we understand, the father was going to bury the child about six months ago. He had a shovel and everything, but the ground was too hard. He’s not real sure where. Whether he’s telling us the truth or not, we just don’t know,” Byrd said.
Both John DeBlase and Heather Leavell-Keaton, the children’s stepmother, agree that at least one child’s body is in the Vancleave area, but each has accused the other of killing the youngsters, Byrd said.
Searchers will resume the search of the area at dawn today, Byrd said.
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/12/search_for_missing_mobile_chil.html

Police: Dad buried 1 child in Miss., other in Ala.

(AP)–1 hour agoMOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A father whose missing children are believed to be dead told investigators he buried one of his young children in Mississippi in March, then buried the other in Alabama in June, police said Monday.John DeBlase, 27, of Mobile, was being held on $206,000 bond. He is charged with child abuse and corpse abuse. The children's stepmother, Heather Leavell-Keaton, is jailed in Louisville, Ky. on child abuse charges. She will soon be extradited back to Alabama. The couple had been together since 2008 but they were not legally married.Mobile police say Deblase has admitted burying his two children — 5-year-old Natalie and 3-year-old Chase — but claims Leavell-Keaton killed them. She is pointing the finger at him.The children were last seen this summer, Mobile Officer Chris Levy said.DeBlase has been trying to help investigators find the bodies, which led to searches over the weekend in rural areas of Alabama and Mississippi, but nothing was found, Levy said."He's placing the blame on Heather, and Heather's placing the blame on him," he said. "Both of them are ultimately responsible for the deaths."Levy said DeBlase has had difficulty remembering the exact locations because the children were buried at two different times.He said the father told investigators he buried the boy's body around the end of March in Mississippi, and later disposed of his daughter's body near the end of June in Alabama.It remains unclear whether the children were killed at the same time."We're really trying to figure that out right now," Levy said. "Without the bodies, it's difficult to know."DeBlase was arrested Friday in the Florida Panhandle, and does not have an attorney. He is set for arraignment on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if Leavell-Keaton had a lawyer in Kentucky.http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jGtPI3zB7crDdvf0pamD95HMj1_A?docId=1506a0923b6c44de82e658e017d909c8

The father of two missing children who police believe are dead made his first court appearance Monday. Now, authorities believe John DeBlase buried his own children three months apart in two different states.

The prosecutor asked that DeBlase be given no bond. But, the judge set his bond at more than 200-thousand on charges of aggravated child abuse and abuse of a corpse.

Police believe DeBlase and the children's stepmother, Heather Keaton, are responsible for the deaths of DeBlase's children, 3-year-old Chase and 5-year-old Natalie. Authorities think DeBlase then buried Chase near Vancleave, Mississippi and Natalie near Citronelle, Alabama.

Police have been looking for their bodies with cadaver dogs. But, Monday they did not search, we're told they're taking a day to regroup. Police say they have been going on information given to them by DeBlase. They have even taken him to the possible burial sites to help authorites with their search, "he has gone out there and he has given us some information, none of that information he's given us has produced any results. But, he has, we have taken him out to the scene and we have used information given to us from him to assist in the search," said Mobile Police Spokesman, Officer Chris Levy. We asked if Police know when the children were killed, "realistically, its hard to account for the girl after about March and the boy after about June," said Levy.

As for the children's stepmother, Heather Keaton, she is still behind bars in Kentucky facing charges of child abuse. She is expected to be extradited back to Mobile sometime this week.

10:59 a.m.
Bond is set at $206,000 for John DeBlase, the father of two missing children believed to be dead and buried.

DeBlase was arrested Friday night after he told police he buried the bodies of his children, 5-year-old Natalie and 3-year-old Chase. He's charged with two counts of Aggravated Child Abuse and two counts of Abuse of a Corpse.

Over the weekend, police searched in an area west of Citronelle and a wooded area near Vancleave, Mississippi.

Prosecutors had asked for no bond, calling DeBlase a flight risk.

The search for a 3-year-old Alabama boy began just weeks ago, but police now say that no one had seen him since March -- around when, they believe, he was killed by one or two of his parents. John Joseph DeBlase, Heather Keaton and Natalie -- the father, stepmother and 4-year-old sister, respectively, of Jonathan DeBlase -- continued to live in Mobile's Peach Place apartments for months after the boy's presumed death, Mobile police Officer Christopher Levy said Monday. They didn't leave until the summer, after Natalie was last spotted in June -- when police now think she was killed, according to Levy. Still, the search for the two children, whose bodies haven't been found, didn't begin until November 19. "It's really terrible, as if nobody really cared," Levy said of the time that transpired between the sightings and launch of the search. "That's what we can't seem to understand at this point." Both John DeBlase and Keaton are now in custody, and blaming each other for the siblings' deaths. The search for their bodies, meanwhile, continues. Mobile Police Chief Micheal T. Williams told HLN's Nancy Grace on Monday that the father "gave us an indication of where the two children buried," leading to searches for their bodies at two locations over the weekend. "Our hearts are broken, because these two beautiful children are missing and presumed to be dead," Williams said. "We will continue our searches until we locate the bodies and they are properly buried." This weekend, authorities started looking in a rural 12-mile swath in southeastern Mississippi, about one hour's drive from Mobile. "They think that somehow, maybe, one of the children may have been brought here and dumped," said Jackson County, Mississippi, Sheriff Mike Byrd. "But we're not really sure where to look." Byrd said that he believes that John DeBlase wanted to bury one of the children with a shovel, but tossed the body instead because the ground was too hard. Searchers, some with cadaver dogs, have looked on the sides of nearby roads and in a wooded area. Police have also searched for the children's bodies in Citronelle, about 33 miles north of Mobile, according to CNN affiliate WKRG. The investigation kicked off November 18, when Keaton told Louisville, Kentucky, police that she needed protection from DeBlase, who she claimed was "holding (her) against my will." According to the domestic violence petition, signed Heather L. Leavell-Keaton, she said, "I feel he may have murdered his children, because he said they were non-responsive. He would not let me check on them." She said John DeBlase had told her "choices were made ... and he had to do what he had to do." Keaton herself was arrested last Tuesday, charged with two counts of willful abuse and neglect of a child. Three days later, Randall Melville -- who for two days had been hosting his long-time friend, John DeBlase -- called Santa Rosa County, Florida, police after hearing news reports about the children's disappearance, according to a report from the county sheriff's department. When Melville asked DeBlase about it, the children's father yelled, "I didn't do it" and left the home, the report said. Police eventually tracked down John DeBlase, who again asserted his innocence before his arrest Friday. He faces two counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of abuse of a corpse -- the latter because, Levy said, of his "disposing of the bodies in the woods." On Monday, Mobile County District Court Judge Charles McKnight set bail for DeBlase at $206,000 -- $100,000 each for the child abuse charges, and $3,000 apiece for the corpse abuse counts -- reported CNN affiliate WALA. Prosecutors had asked for no bail, given the severity of the crime and saying DeBlase was a flight risk given that he stayed in homeless shelters to avoid being caught. John DeBlase and Keaton had one infant daughter together, according to Keaton's account in the Kentucky police report. Police said one reason Keaton claimed she needed protection from DeBlase was that she feared for the safety of the infant, who was with Keaton in Kentucky. Levy said the two slain children's biological mother lives in Mobile, but she did not have custody "because, at the time, she didn't have a place to live." People in and around Mobile, meanwhile, are mourning the loss of the two youngsters.
"We're just heartbroken," said Creighton Hobbes, a family friend. "We miss them. We want to see their little faces... We wanted them back around Christmas."

There is still no sign of little Natalie and Chase DeBlase. Police were not searching for a second day, Tuesday. We're told they were taking time to regroup and gather more resources.

Jackson County, Mississippi Sheriff, Mike Byrd, says they will be back out Wednesday searching for the body of one of the children. 3-year-old Chase DeBlase is believed to be buried near Vancleve. Mobile Police say they will starting searching near Vancleve around 9 Wednesday morning. Chase's sister, 5-year-old Natalie, is thought to be buried in Citronelle, Alabama.

Mobile Police believe both the children's father, John DeBlase, and their stepmother, Heather Keaton are responsible for their deaths. Police tell News 5, the children might have been killed and buried months apart in two separate states.

Sheriff Byrd says they will have several search teams out looking Wednesday, "this is just plain evil, hell's going to be a lot for them I feel like it's just horrible that you would do an innocent child this way and I hope they get prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and we're going to do everything we can to try to bring closure to the biological mother and you know because I know she's going through a hard, hard, time," said Byrd.

The children's father, John DeBlase, is still behind bars on a more than 200-thousand dollar bond. Right now, he's just facing charges of aggravated child abuse and abuse of a corpse for reportedly burying the children's bodies. It's likely he won't make bond, he said in court Monday morning he could not afford an attorney. DeBlase will be back in a Mobile County courtroom Wednesday morning for an arraignment, that's when he will enter a plea in the case.

The children's stepmother, Heather Keaton, is still behind bars in Kentucky facing child abuse charges. She is expected to be extradited back to Alabama some time this week.