Who Is Maleah Davis? New Details On The Toddler Allegedly Abducted By Three Men, Says Her Stepfather
His story keeps changing.
Instagram When a child goes missing the world seems to stand still for their family. Much as in any other missing person case, a vanished child conjures up all sorts of awful images: did they get lost, hurt, were they kidnapped? That's why the first couple of days of an investigation are so darn critical if the child is to be brought home and reunited with their family. Recently, Derion Vence, a Houston man, reported that his four-year-old stepdaughter Maleah Davis had been abducted by three strangers. The police immediately leptinto action, but they have discovered that things might not be as straightforward as they were led to believe. Now, they're doing whatever it takes to bring Maleah home. Who is Maleah Davis?
1. Initial Report
The initial report about Maleah Davis' disappearance was as upsetting as it was confusing. According to her stepfather, Derion Vence, Maleah was kidnapped. He said that three men are responsible for abducting the four-year-old while she was still in Vence's custody. As soon as authorities knew, they issued an Amber Alert. According to Vence, he was on the side of the road experiencing car trouble when a car full of three men stopped. He assumed that they were there to help him out, but instead of doing that, he claimed that they assaulted him, took Maleah and left. Vence says the men were driving a blue pickup truck and were Hispanic. Strangely, the men left behind Vence's one-year-old son who was also in the car during the time of the alleged attack.
2. Derion Vence
As you might suspect having read the first caption above, the police named Derion Vence a person of interest in relation to Maleah's disappearance. That wasn't the case at first (which uh, okay, cool but doesn't he clearly seem suspicious?) but when he began changing his story upon interrogation, that triggered alarm bells for the officers. “Amber Alert Update: Houston police tell me Darion Vence is a person of interest in his step daughter Maleah’s disappearance. Sugar Land police tell me he changed his story, first saying he walked to the hospital, then saying someone dropped him off,” says one local reporter who is following the case.
3. Two Different Stories
When trying to assess whether or not a suspect is actually a viable one in a missing person case, the police do their best to make sure they can corroborate their story. That wasn't the case for Vence. Initially, he claimed that the men responsible for kidnapping Maleah assaulted him as he was on his way to the airport to pick up Maleah's mother. While he's remained consistent on this detail, it is what he says happened after Maleah was taken that has proven to be unreliable. Initially, he claimed that the men left him and his child on the side of the road and that he was forced to walk to the hospital for treatment. When questioned later he said that he received a ride to the hospital. It's a small detail, but not one Vence should forget if things panned out the way he is insisting they did.
4. Her Family Speaks Out
Currently, it would appear based on the statements they have given to various media outlets that Maleah's mother and the rest of her family are standing by Vence. If they think he's involved, they certainly aren't saying anything about it. Maleah's mom, Brittany Bowens said in a recent interview: “My spirit is so broken, I feel so lost. I can’t concentrate, I can’t focus. It’s so overwhelming for me. It doesn’t seem real.” In another interview, she said, “I love her so much. I love her so much. Maleah is a sweet girl, she loves to dance, she’s always happy. 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.” Her grandmother, Brenda Bowens, is also wishing her a speedy return: “If she’s listening to this, I want you to know that Nana loves you.”
5. Maleah Davis
Maleah was removed from the home she lives in with her mother and stepfather in August of 2018. She and her other brothers were taken away by the Texas Child Protective Services organization while an evaluation was conducted on her home after they received claims that Maleah had suffered a serious head injury due to child abuse. Thankfully it was eventually determined by CPS that no abuse was taking place. Instead, they said an accident took place which led to the injuries. The injuries, however, were severe enough that Maleah required serious surgery. Sargeant Mark Holbrook with the Texas police further addressed her injuries saying: “Maleah has had multiple brain surgeries, most recently end of March, early April, to fix the flap for her injury, so that the flap will grow at the same rate as her skull. I wouldn’t call her special needs, but she’s needed a lot of care. And she was sick this week too. Having to have brain surgery, having a loose piece of your skull, is serious business, that requires constant care, constant evaluation by parents, puts you at risk for a whole host of things. I’m no doctor, but it’s not good.”
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. She's an experienced generalist with a passion for lifestyle, geek news, pop culture, and true crime. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.