26-year-old Darion Vence has been arrested and charged with “tampering with a corpse” in connection with 4-year-old Maleah Davis’ disappearance, 8 days after he told police the girl was “abducted by three men.
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The stepfather was taken into custody under a charge of “tampering with evidence, namely a corpse.” Cops haven’t confirmed whether the child has passed away but investigators believe she is no longer breathing.
Maleah was last seen on April 30 on CCTV footage in the family’s apartment complex, where her blood was discovered.
The child’s mother accused Vence of being abusive and said he cleaned the flat with bleach on the day of Maleah’s disappearance.
A surveillance image shows Vence leaving the apartment while carrying a big laundry basket with a black garbage bag. Officers said gas and the basket were found in a stolen vehicle.
Vence initially told police the girl was kidnapped by three men who attacked him on the highway. Community activist Quanell revealed that Vence and the girl’s mother, Brittany Bowens, had recently gotten into a fight.
“On the day that Brittany left to be with her sick father – her dying father – to be with family, there was a huge fight between her and him,” Quenell revealed. “She confronted him about being gay. He was hurt, he was angry, he was upset. She told him she was giving back his ring and that she was not going to marry him.
“I believe that caused him to snap in anger.”
Quanell continued: “There were times where (Vence) would say (Maleah) was at day care, but he would bring her back, not drop her off at day care, but bring her back home with him. There is reason to believe, based on what I know now, there’s issues of him possibly molesting young Maleah.”
He said the mother had never reported any suspicions of abuse to police. “She didn’t understand why he would be cleaning up the apartment,” Quanell added. “But he went and bought an extra bottle of Clorox and came back.”
Craig Davis, Maleah’s biological father, said he is “not putting the blame on anybody.”
“I just need the questions that aren’t answered to be answered. There are so many unanswered questions,” he told ABC13.
“It’s not for the police to answer them for me. It’s not for the news to answer them for me. It’s for Darion to answer for me.”
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