In a story May 7 about a missing Houston girl, The Associated Press, relying on information provided by the police, misspelled the name of the man who told investigators that the girl had been abducted. His name is Derion Vence, not Darion Vence. The AP also reported that police referred to Vence as the girl's stepfather, but he wasn't. A spokesman for the girl's mother says she and Vence lived together and were engaged, but that she recently broke off the engagement. A corrected version of the story is below: The Latest: Police say man changed story about missing girl Police in a suburb of Houston say a Texas man who reported his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter missing repeatedly changed his story during initial interviews. HOUSTON (AP) — The Latest on the search for a 4-year-old girl who was reported missing in Houston (all times local): 7:30 p.m. Police in a suburb of Houston say a Texas man who reported his girlfriend's 4-year-old daughter missing Saturday repeatedly changed his story during initial interviews. Houston police say Derion Vence told investigators Maleah Davis was abducted more than 24-hours earlier by men in a pickup truck who knocked him out but then let him and his 2-year-old son go. But Vence was first interviewed by Sugar Land police, and a spokesman for that city's department says his account "changed several times." Houston police are leading the investigation. They say it is ongoing and that they don't identify "persons of interest or suspects unless charges are filed." A phone message requesting comment left at a number listed for Vence was not immediately returned. Sugar Land is about 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Houston. ___ 2:30 p.m. A 4-year-old Houston girl who has been missing since her mother's boyfriend reported she was abducted had previously been removed from her home by state workers concerned about allegations of physical abuse. Officials with state Child Protective Services in Houston say Maleah Davis was removed from her home in August after she suffered a head injury and was then returned to the home in February. Her two brothers also were removed over that period. All three were placed with relatives. CPS caseworkers have been monitoring the home since the children were returned. Searchers have been looking for the girl since her mother's boyfriend, Derion Vence, reported Saturday that he pulled over Friday night to check a tire when the men pulled up behind them. Police say Vence said he was knocked unconscious and when he awoke the next day, Maleah was gone.<doc-sep>In the last known image of her before she disappeared May 3, Maleah Davis is seen following her stepfather into their southwest Houston apartment, reports CBS affiliate KHOU-TV. Law enforcement sources provided the image of the four-year-old girl to the station. The April 30 surveillance image shows Derion Vence entering the apartment complex where he lives with the girl and her mother. Maleah is seen steps behind him, but she was never seen exiting the apartment. Vence has been charged with tampering with evidence related to a human corpse. The child has not been found. So sad. What’s believed to be last image of #MaleahDavis from a source. Appears to show missing 4 year-old following “stepdad” Derion Vence into apartment. He’s charged with tampering w/evidence related to human corpse. No remains located yet. @KHOU for latest #khou11 #htownrush pic.twitter.com/W4WKUVvKlX — Jason Miles (@JMilesKHOU) May 13, 2019 Additional photos obtained by Houston station KTRK-TV reportedly show Vence leaving the apartment three days later while carrying what prosecutors describe as a blue laundry basket with a garbage bag and bottles of bleach. Prosecutors said investigators found a blue laundry basket and a gas can inside a car Vence claims was stolen from him by three men with Maleah still inside. Vence initially reported his stepdaughter missing after he showed up May 4 at a hospital in Sugar Land. He told police he had been in and out of consciousness over the previous 24 hours and had walked there after coming to on a highway that runs through the region. Maleah Davis KHOU-TV The car was found abandoned last week. Prosecutors said cadaver dogs detected the scent of human remains inside it. The 26-year-old Vence was arrested Saturday after investigators found new clues inside the apartment: drops of blood linked to Maleah along with evidence that someone tried to clean it up. Police said Vence has changed his story about Maleah's disappearance multiple times. He is in jail on a $45,000 bond, which was reduced from $1 million Monday, according to KHOU-TV. Vence has been appointed a defense attorney. The assistant district attorney in Harris County said there is a "substantial likelihood" that Vence will face additional charges. Investigators have not publicly said whether they believe Vence killed Maleah, reports CBS News correspondent Mireya Villarreal. Brittany Bowens, Maleah Davis's mother, was yelled at Monday following a canceled court hearing for Vence. Outside a Houston courtroom, Quanell X, a community activist and spokesman for Bowens, told reporters Bowens's main concern is finding out what happened to Maleah. He has alleged that Vence may have abused Maleah. But as Quanell X spoke, he was drowned out by a group, including family members of Maleah's father, who yelled "justice for Maleah" and "murderer." Quanell X has described Vence as Bowen's ex-fiancé and said Bowens recently called off the engagement, reports Villareal. Derion Vence Houston Police "When that happened, I believe that he psychologically snapped — already on top of being abusive to Maleah. He did this to hurt the mother in a way that she would never recover," Quanell X said. In August, Maleah and her two brothers were removed from the home and placed in the care of relatives after Maleah suffered a head injury that eventually led to her having multiple brain surgeries, according to Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Tiffani Butler. Doctors said they were told by the child's parents that Maleah fell off a chair into a marble table, but the injury didn't match the explanation, according to family court records obtained by KHOU. Further medical review uncovered a previous head injury that wasn't reported, court records revealed. Child welfare workers were called in on a report alleging physical abuse and neglect, and the children were removed from the home over concerns for their safety. A court couldn't determine whether the injuries were the result of abuse. The children were returned in February but officially remained in state custody and were checked on by a caseworker each month, Butler said. The parents were ordered to take parenting classes, but it's unclear whether that occurred. They were due back in a family court later this month. During an emergency hearing last Wednesday, Maleah's two brothers, 1 and 5, were placed in the custody of family and Vence and Bowens were ordered to have no contact with them, KHOU-TV reported.<doc-sep>
HOUSTON (AP) — In a story May 9 about a missing Houston girl, The Associated Press, relying on information provided by the police, misspelled the name of the man who told investigators that the girl had been abducted. His name is Derion Vence, not Darion Vence. The AP also reported that police referred to Vence as the girl's stepfather. A spokesman for the girl's mother says she and Vence lived together and were engaged, but that she recently broke off the engagement. A corrected version of the story is below: Car reported stolen in case of missing Texas girl found Police have found a car that was reportedly stolen when a 4-year-old Texas girl disappeared late last week HOUSTON (AP) — A car that was reportedly stolen when a 4-year-old Texas girl disappeared late last week was found Thursday in a suburban Houston parking lot, authorities said. A woman spotted the gray Nissan Altima in a Missouri City parking lot and reported it to police, Houston police Detective Kenneth Fregia said during a news conference. He said the car was found unlocked and didn't appear to be damaged, and that detectives would go over it "with a fine-toothed comb." Brittany Bowens, the mother of missing Maleah Davis, was at the scene as police conducted an initial search of the car. She could be seen crying and hitting her hands against the ground. Police say Derion Vence, who at one time was engaged to Bowens, told investigators that he was driving the car to the airport to pick up Bowens Friday night when he pulled over to check if it had a flat tire. Vence said men in a pickup truck pulled up, knocked him out and abducted him, Maleah and his 2-year-old son before eventually allowing him and the boy to go free, according to Houston police. Fregia said the car's tires appeared to be fine and that investigators were searching for security footage that might show when and how it arrived in the lot. Vence initially reported Maleah missing after he showed up Saturday at a hospital in Sugar Land, which is next to Missouri City. He told police he had been in and out of consciousness over the previous 24 hours and had walked there after coming to a highway that runs through the region. However, a Sugar Land police spokesman said Vence's "story changed several times." Story continues Fregia said Vence hasn't spoken with investigators since Saturday and that he'd "like to talk" with Vence again but isn't concerned about his whereabouts. Child Protective Services has been monitoring the home where Maleah lived with Vence, her mother and her siblings for months, according to spokeswoman Tiffani Butler. In August, the girl and her 5- and 1-year-old brothers were removed from the home and placed in the care of relatives after Maleah suffered a head injury that eventually led to her having multiple brain surgeries, Butler said. They were returned in February but officially remained in state custody and were checked on by a caseworker each month, she said. ___ An earlier version of this story was corrected to reflect that the car was found Thursday, not Tuesday.