The remains of a child found near an Arkansas interstate were positively identified as 4-year-old Maleah Davis on Monday. Determining her cause of death will be difficult because the trash bag containing her bones was run over by a mower.
A grounds crew detected a foul odor and found a trash bag after a powerful mower ran over the bag, scattering the bag’s contents alongside I-30 in Fulton, Arkansas.
Tim Miller, founder of the search and rescue group EquuSearch, charted a jet to fly to Arkansas to help recover Maleah’s remains. He said it took hours to pick up the fragments of bones and pieces of blood-stained clothing.
“It was a gruesome sight. It was a terrible sight to see. It took hours gathering up body parts and evidence,” Miller told KHOU 11 News.
Miller added that it will be “impossible” to determine Maleah’s cause of death.
He said he “can’t shake” the sight “a little pink barrette” among the remains “thrown out like trash” alongside the highway.
Houston community activist Quanell X convinced suspect Derion Vence to tell him where he disposed of the girl’s body after killing her “accidentally.”
Quanell said Vence told him he punched Maleah because he was upset with her mother, Brittany Bowens, who allegedly accused him of being a homosexual after she discovered nude photos he’d allegedly sent to a man on his cell phone.
Vence, 26, was engaged to Maleah’s mother. He told police he last saw Maleah alive on Friday, May 3, when he was carjacked by three Hispanic males who knocked him unconscious and took Maleah.
Vence reported the girl missing on May 4 at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, where he went for treatment of a minor head wound.
He was arrested on May 11 and charged with tampering with a human corpse after forensics officers found blood evidence linked to Maleah inside the apartment where she lived with Vence, her mother and 2 brothers.
Vence remains in jail on $45,000 bail. His charges are expected to be upgraded and police say more arrests are expected.
“The defendant remains charged with tampering with a corpse,” stated the Harris County District Attorney’s Office on Monday. “Prosecutors continue their review and are working with Houston Police. Additional charges would be filed as the evidence supports doing so. We remain focused on finding the truth and delivering justice for Maleah.”
Grieving supporters shared memes of the adorable little gap-toothed girl whose tragic story touched hearts around the world for over a month.
Quanell is no longer the spokesman for Bowens. In a text message exchange with a friend, Bowens allegedly said Quanell X did not terminate his representation of her – she fired him first for lying about her and Vence to the media.
