From the beginning, pictures of the little girl with pigtails touched hearts around the world. No one has seen Maleah since April 30, and heartbreaking evidence suggests no one ever will. ‘DANGEROUS WARNING SIGNS’ Four-year-old Maleah Davis is described as a happy child, full of joy who loved to dance. Behind closed doors, she was a child who was being abused, according to her mother’s spokesperson. Quanell X said the abuse came at the hands of Derion Vence, mom Brittany Bowens’ then-fiancé. “He was physically abusive to young Maleah,” said the activist, who claims Bowens knew about the abuse but didn’t report it. “It’s a shame because that could have saved young Maleah’s life had she had the strength and the courage to get away from Maleah’s stepdad when she saw these dangerous warning signs that he was physically abusive.” Quanell X said Bowens herself was abused repeatedly as a child and she was “taught to live with that.” He said she now realizes she should have done more to protect her daughter. “She’s beating herself up, and some of it is deserved because she could have did a better job when the warning signs were there to get away from this man,” Quanell X said. HE ‘SNAPPED’ According to Quanell X, Bowens broke off her engagement to Vence after finding text messages of his “private parts” sent to another man. She confronted Vence on April 30, before she left town for her father’s burial in Massachusetts. That caused Vence to “snap,” Quanell X said, claiming Vence sent “some very disturbing things via text messages” to Bowens while she was out of town. The activist believes Vence killed Maleah while Bowens was in Massachusetts, and tried to clean up the apartment with bleach to hide the evidence. “He did this to hurt the mother in a way that she would never recover," Quanell X said. Bowens had barely had time to grieve her father, when she learned her daughter was missing. THE EVIDENCE Homicide detectives got their first significant break in the case with the help of surveillance cameras outside the apartment, along with what was found inside the car Vence was driving. On April 30, a neighbor’s surveillance camera image showed Maleah trailing Vence into the apartment. It's the last-known photo of the 4-year-old. A few hours later, Vence is seen leaving the apartment with a laundry basket containing a trash bag and a large bottle of bleach. Detectives say the laundry basket and a gas can were found in the car Vence reported stolen. They say a cadaver dog detected the scent of human remains in the car, which was spotted by a taxi driver in Missouri City. Houston police confirm they found blood in the apartment, using a chemical spray that detects blood not visible to the naked eye. It matched DNA found on Maleah’s toothbrush. THE ARREST Police arrested Vence at a relative’s home on Saturday, May 12, one week after he reported Maleah had been kidnapped by two men who knocked him out. Vence is charged with tampering with a human corpse in connection with Maleah’s disappearance. The charge is likely to be upgraded, the district attorney’s office told CBS News. "I can guarantee you there will be a murder indictment on this man," Quanell said. "Evidence from inside the apartment being analyzed right now will help us all learn the truth of what he did with her body." But what if they don't find Maleah's body? Can Vence be charged with murder? KHOU legal analyst Gerald Treece Treece says a body is not required in order to file a murder charge. However, not finding a body makes it much harder to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone was killed. “Many people ask that question. They remember some anecdotal rule that you have to have a body for a murder. It’s a hard circumstantial evidence case, but it’s not impossible under our law,” said Treece. A judge, calling it a murder case, originally ordered Vence held on a $1 million bond. The bond was later reduced to $45,000. Vence didn’t appear at a court hearing Monday morning, but Bowens was there. When she and Quanell X left the courtroom, a crowd began shouting at her, calling her a murderer and saying she’s partly to blame. Several people held signs that said “Justice for Maleah.” Bowens didn’t respond. Treece says people who are party to a crime are equally responsible in Texas. Although he doesn’t have firsthand knowledge of the investigation, he says charging more people is often a way to build a case against the main suspect. “The government goes out and finds people, and works out a deal with them -- especially in cases like this where they can’t find a body -- to build a case based on so-called accomplice's testimony. That’s what I think will happen,” he said.https://twitter.com/JanelKHOU/status/1127956501350555649 RELATIVES REACT Vence’s arrest confirmed what many relatives had feared from the beginning: That they will probably never see Maleah again. Some believe Bowens should face charges, as well. "I believe that she's guilty because a mother is going to protect her child any means necessary,” Tamisha Mendoza said. She is the cousin of Maleah’s biological father. “I don’t care to hear that she was scared. You did not protect your daughter." Mendoza said Maleah’s biological father, Craig Davis, didn’t attend Monday’s hearing because he was too devastated. But Davis’ parents spoke with KHOU over the weekend. Maleah’s paternal grandmother said she jumped for joy after learning Vence was in custody. But Maleah’s grandfather admitted it’s hard to be happy because he knows Maleah is still out there. Bowens has not commented since her former fiance's arrest on Saturday. A funeral home in Massachusetts confirms she attended her father's burial on May 1. Flight records show she returned to Houston on May 3. "I can tell you Brittany is totally devastated by the loss of her daughter," Quanell X said. Earlier in the week, she sobbed while holding a flyer with Maleah's picture. "It's like a nightmare that keeps going and going... I just want to fine Maleah.” WHERE IS MALEAH? It's a question we're all asking. Even the children at Maleah's preschool miss her and want to know where she is. Despite the evidence and Vence's arrest, there's no sign of the little girl. "We know she's still missing," said Tim Miller, director of Texas Equusearch. "The second fact we know is [Vence is] not telling the truth. We got to keep searching." Miller was up in a Fort Bend County helicopter Sunday, surveying new search areas and looking specifically for signs of unusual burnt ground. "He did not buy that gas can to just have the gas can," Miller said. Miller knows all too well the heartache of losing a child and not knowing what happened. His 16-year-old daughter, Laura, was one of the first Killing Field victims. She disappeared in 1984, but her body wasn't found until '86.<doc-sep>NewsOne Featured Video CLOSE Maleah Davis is the four-year-old girl whose stepfather claimed was abducted on his watch over the weekend. While there seemed to be many holes in his story, Maleah’s mother was speaking out for the first time as the little girl’s history of child abuse was revealed. See Also: A Disturbing Timeline Of Dallas Police Officer Amber Guyger Killing Botham Jean In His Own Home Maleah’s mother spoke through tears at a press conference Monday. “I love her so much. Maleah is a sweet girl, she loves to dance, she’s always happy,” Brittany Bowens said. “I just want to find Maleah… I just want to find my baby. I just want to find her. Help me find her! Please help me find her.” The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said Maleah and her two brothers were removed from their home last year due reports of abuse, according to CNN. “In August 2018, Maleah and her brothers were placed with a relative following physical abuse allegations, stemming from a head injury she had, CPS said Monday night,” CNN wrote. “A judge ordered their return home in February and called for CPS to maintain temporary conservatorship and visit the home at least once a month to check on the family.” Maleah reportedly had multiple brain surgeries. According to ABC reporter Shelly Childers, the surgeries were due to physical abuse. Darion Vence, the child’s stepfather, told Sgt. Mark Holbrook of the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division that he, Maleah and his two-year-old son were on their way to George Bush Intercontinental Airport Friday night to pick up Maleah’s mother, who was flying in from Massachusetts. Vence said he heard a “popping noise,” like a popped tire and pulled over. A blue pickup truck pulled up behind the vehicle and two Hispanic males got out, according to Vence. One of the men allegedly said “Maleah looks very nice, looks very sweet” before Vence alleged he was hit in the head, lost consciousness and woke up at 6 p.m. on Saturday. He said Maleah was missing but his son was still there. Vence supposedly walked to a hospital, received treatment and then reported Maleah as missing. “I realize there’s a lot blanks [sic] in the story,” Holbrook said. The vehicle Vence was driving was also still missing as of Monday morning. Maleah was reportedly last seen wearing a pink bow in her hair with a light blue zip-up jacket, blue jeans and gray, white and pink sneakers. She has black hair and brown eyes and stands 3 feet tall, weighing 30 to 40 pounds. SEE ALSO: All The Ways Cops Are Still Trying To Cover Up LaQuan McDonald’s Execution Outrageous! Figurines Of White Cherub Crushing Head Of Black Angel Removed From Dollar Store Meet Jogger Joe, The Man Who Took Racist Cue From BBQ Becky In Tossing Homeless Man’s Clothes<doc-sep>Documents filed in Harris County family court in connection to missing Houston girl, Maleah Davis, reveal months of investigation by child social services prior to her disappearance. The Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) released over 300 pages of documents pertaining to 4-year-old Maleah, with allegations of child abuse dating back to August 2018. July 28, 2018 On July 28, 2018, Maleah’s mother, Brittany Bowens, brought her to the hospital with a laceration on her head. Bowens said the little girl wasn’t acting abnormal and didn’t have seizures. A physician tended to Maleah’s injuries, then discharged her from the hospital. August 3, 2018 “On August 3, 2018, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services received a report of physical abuse by an unknown perpetrator……Brittany Bowens, the mother of Maleah Davis, contacted Brenda Bowns, maternal grandmother, and stated Maleah had fallen from a tall chair to a marble table.” The documents indicated that Bowens followed her mother’s advice and took Maleah to the hospital. She was treated and subsequently released. August 6, 2018 A few days later, while in the care of Bowen and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Derion Vence, Maleah’s eyes started rolling to the back of her head. Bowens again called her mother, who again told Bowens to take Maleah to the hospital. Bowens complied. According to court documents, physicians said that the injury on Maleah’s head could not have been caused from falling from a chair. The injury caused “half of her skull to be removed” and Maleah underwent a “craniectomy to relieve pressure.” “When she falls, she came around that couch, she had a deep gash in her head and it freaked me out,” Bowen later said to CNN. “They did a CT scan and that’s when they told me there was bleeding on the left-hand side of her brain. At that point it was a life or death situation.” While Maleah was in the hospital, her grandmother, Brenda, was “constantly by her side,” according to the documents. Bowens, however, was not “consistently present at the hospital.” Maleah’s biological father, Craig Davis, “has been by to visit and was lying in bed with Maleah propped up on him,” the court documents read. Afterward, TDFPS spoke with both Bowens and Davis about their child’s injuries. “Both parents deny any previous injury,” the documents read. August 10, 2018 On August 10, 2018, Investigator Marquise Williams, with the Department of Family and Protective Services, spoke with a social worker from the Texas Children’s Hospital, who informed the agency that Maleah had two separate injuries, a frontal laceration and a fracture to her left posterior temporal bone. August 13, 2018 Williams visited the apartment where Bowens and Vence lived. Bowens showed the area where Maleah supposedly fell and hit her head, but the investigator didn’t measure the area. Bowens was ordered to appear in court on August 22, along with Maleah’s biological father, Davis. August 22, 2018 Both Bowens and Davis were asked to give the court emergency contact information of family members, so that Maleah and her siblings could be placed in their care while the child abuse investigations continued. Both were also told to provide information regarding insurance for the children, how would they would pay child support, and the children’s medical history. TDFPS was named temporary managing conservator of Maleah and her siblings, while Bowens was named joint consenter for the children’s medical needs. The children were temporarily placed with a “sitter” appointed by the court. Both parents were allowed to visit their children at anytime, as long as the sitter approved. Bowens was ordered to take parenting classes, which she eventually completed. A physician could not positively confirm that Maleah’s injuries came from physical abuse. February 2019 Maleah is temporarily returned home to Bowens’ apartment, where she lived with her mother, Vence, and her siblings. The plan is for a “monitored return” of the children. A court date was scheduled for May 22 to determine if the children would be permanently placed in the care of their mother. “They didn’t find anything because we’re not those kinds of people,” Bowens would later say, indicating that there was no abuse in the home. April-May 2019 Maleah disappeared before the court date. On April 30, security footage at her mother’s Houston apartment spotted her walking with Vence toward the apartment at around 7:45 a.m. Four days later, Vence reported Maleah missing. Although he claimed three Hispanic man beat him up and abducted, police never bought the story. He was arrested around a week later on tampering with evidence charges. At the time of her disappearance, Maleah was receiving both occupational and physical therapy. She was scheduled to also start speech therapy. She was described as a happy child who loved to watch cartoons. Reward for Information Maleah still has not been found. Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to her location. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Houston Police Department at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS. Click here to see all of CrimeOnline’s coverage on Maleah Davis. Join Nancy Grace for her new online video series designed to help you protect what you love most – your children. [Feature Photo: Maleah Davis/Handout; Instagram]<doc-sep>
HOUSTON — The mother of a missing 4-year-old Texas girl was heckled outside a courtroom on Monday by people who questioned if she had done enough to protect her daughter before her disappearance. Brittany Bowens, Maleah Davis’s mother, along with her spokesman, community activist Quanell X, showed up for a scheduled court hearing for Derion Vence, her former fiance who is charged in connection with the girl’s disappearance. The hearing was canceled, though, and Vence’s next hearing was scheduled for July 10. Tom Burton, Vence’s attorney, said he couldn’t comment because he hadn’t seen any of the evidence in the case. Vence, 26, has been charged with tampering with evidence, specifically a human corpse, though Maleah is still missing and authorities have declined to say whether they believe she is dead or Vence may have killed her. Prosecutors, though, have said in court documents that Vence eventually could face additional charges, including murder. Bowens declined to speak after the canceled hearing, but Quanell X told reporters that Bowens is focused on finding out what happened to her daughter. “The main thing right now that all of us want to know is what did he do with Maleah,” he said. “Where is Maleah?” As Quanell X spoke to reporters, he was drowned out by a group of people, including some family members of Maleah’s father who yelled “she let it happen” and “Brittany knew all along.” Quanell X previously alleged that Vence might have abused Maleah and that Bowens should have told police about it. Child Protective Services removed Maleah and her brothers from the apartment Vence and Bowens shared in August after the girl suffered a head wound, but the children were returned in February, according to an agency spokeswoman. When asked by reporters why - if she had concerns about Vence - Bowens had left her daughter in Vence’s care while Bowens attended her father’s funeral out of state, Quanell X declined to comment, saying, “I’m not going to speak to that.” As Bowens and Quanell X headed to an elevator, they were followed by the hecklers, who yelled, “Justice for Maleah” and “murderer.” Tamisha Mendoza, a cousin of Maleah’s father, Craig Davis, said she questioned why Bowens stayed with Vence if she suspected he was hurting her daughter. “You’re just as guilty as (Vence). She needs to be locked up along with him,” Mendoza said. Craig Davis didn’t attend the scheduled hearing because “he is devastated” about what happened to his daughter, Mendoza said. “Maleah was a happy little girl,” she said. “The things that happened to her, she didn’t deserve.” According to police, Vence told officers that he, Maleah and his 2-year-old son were abducted on May 4 by a group of men in a truck. He said he and his son were freed the next day but the kidnappers kept Maleah and his silver Nissan Altima. Police said Vence’s story kept changing and didn’t add up. The Nissan was found on Thursday and trained dogs detected the scent of human decomposition in the trunk. Vence was seen on surveillance video taking a large laundry basket with a trash bag as well as cleaning supplies from his apartment on May 3. A basket similar to the one seen on the surveillance video was found in the Nissan’s trunk. Investigators also found blood in the hallway and bathroom of Bowens and Vence’s apartment. The blood is consistent with DNA samples taken from Maleah’s toothbrush, authorities said. Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC.