To honor the short life of Maleah Davis, 4, whose body was found in Arkansas on June 3, a tribute will be paid to her this weekend by turning the city of Houston, Texas, pink—her favorite color.
The announcement came after the city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, gave the go-ahead for Houston City Hall to turn its lights pink on Sunday, June 9, as it was the color the Houston girl loved most in the world.
“Just as the light will shine in her memory, we must continue to shine a light on the horrific circumstances that lead to her death and make a promise to protect all children in our community,” Turner said in a press release.
The mayor urged the public to do more to create change in honor of Maleah’s life.
“Love your child and hold them close, volunteer at a shelter for women and children, support foster organizations or make a donation to your favorite charity in Maleah’s name,” he said.
The remains of the missing 4-year-old were discovered in a garbage bag emitting a foul odor in Arkansas, officials said on June 3.
The discovery was made after Derion Vence, the ex-fiancé of Maleha’s mother and the individual who had been arrested in connection with the 4-year-old’s disappearance, allegedly told Quanell X, a community activist, he had dumped her body near Hope, Arkansas.
The activist said Vence told him Maleah’s cause of death was accidental.
The manner and cause of the girl’s death are still under investigation as more tests are carried out.
On June 3, the Harris County District Attorney said in a statement that Vence remains charged with tampering with evidence—namely, the corpse—which is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 20 years.
“We remain focused on finding the truth and delivering justice for Maleah.”
A month before Maleah’s remains were discovered, Vence reported the girl missing after claiming that he was attacked by several Hispanic men when he was changing a tire while driving to the airport.
He said the girl was missing when he woke up.
But according to local reports, Vence was arrested about a week later and was charged with tampering with evidence, with police adding that his story kept changing.
“All I can say is he told me it was an accident, and that she is dead and where he dumped her body,” Quanell said during a press conference last week, ABC13 reported.
“He said he pulled over in Arkansas, got out of the car, walked off the side of the road, and dumped her body off the side of the road,” Quanell added.
Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton announced a service will be held to honor the memory of Maleah at 10 a.m. at the exit 18 truck stop in Fulton.
“I understand her favorite color was pink,” he said.
“The outpouring of love from Hempstead County, we want everyone in Houston to know that we feel their pain.”
“We just hope this little memorial will serve as a reminder to people that children are precious. They are god’s children,” he said.
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