No murder charges have been filed in Maleah Davis’ gruesome death days after her remains were found in an Arkansas ditch.
Fox 26 News spoke with a Houston police investigator who said officials are still waiting for a cause of death from the medical examiner. At this time police don’t have enough evidence to prove intent.
The only suspect, Derion Vence, is still being held in jail on a misdemeanor charge of tampering with a human corpse.
Newly released surveillance video footage shows the first time Maleah’s mom, Brittany Bowens, was seen after she returned from Massachusetts early on the morning of May 4. In the video, she is seen entering the family’s apartment at Kirkwood Landing complex in Houston. Her daughter, Maleah, was reported missing later that evening by her fiancé, Derion Vence, 27.
Vence told police Maleah was abducted three Mexican males who knocked him unconscious on Friday, May 3.
Investigators got a search warrant for Vence’s phone records, including his texts, call history, geo location, and his Internet search history from Verizon.
Vence’s attorney filed a motion for Quanell X’s phone records to prove he was sent by police to obtain a confession from Vence in the Harris County Jail last week.
That confession led police to Arkansas where Maleah’s remains were found along highway I-30 in Hope, Arkansas.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo believes someone else was in the car with Vence when he drove to Arkansas to dump Maleah’s remains.
“I’m heartened and I’m relieved that we’ve been able to find her and bring her home where she belongs instead of on the side of a road where a coward, and or one or more persons or cowards with no soul just dumped her like she’s a road kill somewhere,” said Chief Acevedo.
He said more arrests are expected. “We have every intention of bringing charges against those, uh, the person or persons responsible for her death and the person or persons responsible for trying to conceal her death by dumping her on the side of a highway in Arkansas.
June 9 has been proclaimed “Maleah Davis Day” in Houston. The proclamation was given to Maleah’s biological father, Craig Davis, on Thursday.
I talked to Maleah Davis’ biological father today after the City of Houston gave him a proclamation in his daughter’s honor. Mayor Turner has proclaimed June 9th as Maleah Day when City Hall will be lit up in pink—Maleah’s favorite color. pic.twitter.com/weY3mwJsfG
— Ivory Hecker FOX 26 (@IvoryHecker) June 6, 2019
City Hall will be illuminated in pink lights in honor of the little girl who touched hearts around the world.
Participants are asked to wear Maleah’s favorite color.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also released a statement remembering Maleah as a “sweet beautiful, and innocent little girl who deserved a chance to enjoy life just like any other child.”
