Mom, Stepdad of Missing Maleah Davis Banned From Contact With Their Children

Maleah Davis (L) and her "stepfather" Darion Vence, pictured with a mark on his forehead after he said he had been abducted with his daughter. (Houston Police Department)

A court order has banned the mother and stepfather of Maleah Davis—the missing Texas girl on Amber alert—from having any contact with their children.

Police announced a missing Amber alert for Maleah Davis of Houston, Texas, on May 5. The 4-year-old was last seen wearing a blue zip-up jacket, blue jeans, sneakers, and had a pink bow in her hair, police said.

KHOU11 reported that an emergency hearing was held early on May 8.

“Mother & Father Vence to have no contact with the children,” the court minutes read, referring to mother Brittany Bowens and stepfather Derion Vence.

It ordered Maleah’s younger half-brother to stay with his paternal grandmother. Maleah’s younger brother is now in the custody of his paternal aunt; if Maleah is found alive, she will also be under the same custody.

The court order is the result of separate motions filed by Maleah’s grandmother, Brenda Bowens, and the Department of Family and Protective Services, KHOU11 reported.

The court did not place the kids with Brenda, but are allowing her to attend sibling visits.

Suspected Abuse

Child Protective Services (CPS) has been monitoring the home where Maleah was living with Vence, Bowens, her grandmother, and her siblings for months, CPS spokeswoman Tiffani Butler said, according to The Associated Press (AP).

In August 2018, Maleah and her 5- and 1-year-old brothers were removed from the home and placed in the care of relatives. The concerns related to Maleah’s head injury that eventually led to her having multiple brain surgeries, Butler said.

Maleah was only taken to the hospital at the urging of her grandmother, who was at work at the time of Maleah’s injury, court records uncovered by KHOU11 showed.

The records also showed that doctors said the explanation that she “fell off a chair” didn’t add up to what they saw, and they suspected abuse.

The children were returned to the home in February but officially remained in state custody and were checked on by a caseworker each month, Butler said, according to AP.

Maleah Davis (Houston Police Department

‘Missing’ Car Found

Police said that a car that Vence had claimed was stolen when Maleah disappeared was found Thursday morning, May 9, in a suburban Houston parking lot.

A woman notified police when she spotted the gray Nissan Altima in a Missouri City parking lot off Highway 6.

According to AP, Houston police Detective Kenneth Fregia said that the car was found unlocked and didn’t appear to be damaged, and that detectives would go over it “with a fine-toothed comb.”

According to KHOU11, police said they have found no evidence inside the car.

Maleah’s mother, Bowens, was at the scene as police conducted an initial search of the car. She could be seen crying and hitting her hands against the ground.

“Where is Maleah? Where is my baby?” she tearfully yelled, according to KRTK.

Maleah Davis (Houston Police Department)

Police said that Vence had told investigators that he was driving the car to the airport to pick up Bowens on the night of May 3, when he pulled over to check if it had a flat tire. Then, Vence said, men in a pickup truck pulled up, knocked him out and abducted him, Maleah, and his 2-year-old son before eventually allowing him and the boy to go free, Houston police said according to AP.

Vence initially reported Maleah missing after he showed up May 5 at a hospital in Sugar Land, which is next to Missouri City. He told police he had been in and out of consciousness over the previous 24 hours and had walked there after coming to a highway that runs through the region.

But a Sugar Land police spokesman said Vence’s “story changed several times,” AP reported.

Fregia said the car’s tires appeared to be fine and that investigators have been searching for security footage that might show when and how the car arrived in the lot.

Fregia added that Vence hasn’t spoken with investigators since May 5, and that he'd “like to talk” with Vence again.

If you’ve seen Maleah, the silver Nissan or the blue pickup truck (photos as provided by police) please call HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or @crimestophou at 713-222-TIPS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

From NTD.com