Stepfather now person of interest in case of missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis, police say

Sugar Land PD says Darion Vence changed his story several times

HOUSTON – Maleah Davis' stepfather, Darion Vence, is now a person of interest in her disappearance, according to Houston police. 

Vence was the last person to see Maleah before she went missing. Vence told police he, his 2-year-old son and Maleah were abducted Friday evening by three men in a blue Chevrolet pickup truck, investigators said. 

READ: Darion Vence's timeline of events before Maleah Davis' disappearance

He said he was knocked out by one of the men and when he regained consciousness, Maleah and the family’s car were gone.

Police: Vence's story not consistent 

Sugar Land police said they went to the Methodist Hospital Saturday because Vence showed up there with flesh wounds. They took video but handed it over to the Houston Police Department, which is investigating the case. Sugar Land police said Vence has changed his story several times during the course of his interview. 

Police said it was different elements that changed, such as how he got to the hospital. Sugar Land police contacted HPD since it was a crime that had happened outside of their city. 

Sugar Land police also said the still photo of the silver Nissan seen around 3 p.m. Saturday came from their license recognition camera close to the Cheesecake Factory near First Colony Mall.

READ: Why CPS says Maleah Davis was pulled from her home last year

On Tuesday morning, Child Protective Services confirmed to KPRC2 that the state agency received a report of allegations of physical abuse in August after Maleah suffered a head injury.

The frantic search for Maleah Davis continues

Family friends, Houston police and Texas Equusearch continue to search for Maleah.

Texas Equusearch, for a second day Tuesday, came up short in its search.

“Did we possibly miss something?” asked Tim Miller, founder of Texas EquuSearch. “Possibly so, but I really don’t think so. My heart’s telling me no. Where do we need to go from here? Hopefully, an investigation is gonna lead us that direction.”

Miller said search crews found nothing that indicates the 4-year-old was abducted near Greens Road and the Eastex Freeway on Friday night.

Around 2 p.m., Tuesday, they shifted their search further south along South Kirkwood Drive and Bissonnet Street, close to the neighborhood Maleah shares with her mother and stepfather.

“We talked with the investigators,” Miller said. “They felt as though this was a very wise decision to start here and start moving out from there.”

Search crews resumed their search in the rain Tuesday afternoon. Around 5 p.m., Miller said the search for Maleah was suspended until weather offers better conditions.

Their focus is to find Maleah and the silver Nissan Altima she was riding in before her stepfather said they were all abducted.


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