Maleah Davis
Four-year-old Maleah Davis was murdered by her mother's boyfriend Derion Vence in Houston. He initially claimed she was kidnapped during a carjacking. Her remains were found in Arkansas.
On May 4, 2019, Derion Vence reported that four-year-old Maleah Davis, his girlfriend's daughter, had been kidnapped during a carjacking on a Houston highway. His account was immediately suspicious to investigators.
Surveillance footage contradicted Vence's timeline. Community activist Quanell X, who initially supported Vence, later reported that Vence had confessed that Maleah was dead and had indicated where her body could be found.
On May 31, Maleah's remains were found in a garbage bag alongside a highway in Hope, Arkansas—along a route Vence had traveled. She had suffered blunt force trauma to the head.
Vence was convicted of murder and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The case highlighted failures in the child protective services system, as Maleah had previously been removed from and returned to the home.
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