MALEAH DAVIS: What we know about missing Houston 4-year-old
An Amber Alert was issued on Sunday, May 5 for Maleah Davis. She was possibly taken by three men, said her mother's ex-fiance, Derion Vence. Before the alleged kidnapping, Vence said he was assaulted by the men, then blacked out for 24 hours.
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That's where police are hoping the public can help fill in the gaps.
Maleah was wearing a pink bow in her hair, a light blue zip jacket, blue jeans and gray, white and pink sneakers.
She is described as an African-American female with black hair and brown eyes. She stands 3 feet tall and weighs 30 to 40 pounds.
Here's what we know about how the events have unfolded since the little girl was reportedly last seen, according to what Vence has told detectives.
Tuesday, April 30
A little girl in a pink tutu is seen scampering across a grassy lawn, trailing a man clad in black.
The girl is Maleah. The man is Derion Vence, the girl's caretaker and the partner of her mother.
All told, this is the last confirmed, recorded sighting of Maleah alive.
Surveillance photos show last time Maleah Davis seen alive
Thursday, May 2
In additional surveillance video taken two days after Maleah's last recorded sighting, Vence is seen smoking a cigarette outside of the apartment he and the little girl's mother share.
The video later shows Vence leaving the unit with his son and Maleah's sibling.
MALEAH DAVIS: Video shows Derion Vence without girl, 2 days after she's last seen alive
Friday, May 3
Around 9 p.m., police say Vence told them he was on his way to pick up Maleah's mother at Bush Intercontinental Airport when he was forced to pull over.
His 1-year-old son and Maleah were with him at the time.
"He hears a popping noise like he has a flat tire," said detective Mark Holbrook.
Vence told police that's when the three men got out and approached him while he was pulled over near Greens Road and Highway 59.
Vence says the men were in a 2010 blue Chevrolet crew cab pickup truck.
"One of them makes a comment saying that Maleah looks very nice, looks very sweet," said Holbrook.
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Police said that's when Vence was reportedly hit on the head by one of the men and lost consciousness.
Saturday, May 4
This is where police say there is a major gap in the timeline.
The family's car, a silver Nissan Altima, was last seen driving through an intersection in Sugar Land at 2:54 p.m.
The vehicle, which he recently bought, is considered stolen. It has a Texas temporary tag of 3092G9.
According to detectives, Vence was in and out of consciousness in the back of the suspects' truck.
Eventually, Vence says that he woke up on Saturday around 6 p.m. on the side of Highway 6, near First Colony Mall. His son was with him, but Maleah was not.
Vence says the abductors kept Maleah with them and drove off.
He told authorities he tried to wave people down for help, but no one stopped.
It's also around this time that Vence said Maleah was last seen in the 16500 block of the Southwest Freeway.
Meanwhile, police say Maleah's mother was waiting for Vence at the airport and did not report the family missing to police until Saturday morning after not hearing from him.
They say she ultimately got another family member to pick her up.
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By the time Vence got to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital to receive treatment for his injuries, it was 11 p.m. He then reported Maleah missing.
Sunday, May 5
By 8 a.m., an Amber Alert was issued for Maleah.
RELATED: What are the criteria for issuing Amber Alerts?
Houston police also held a press conference later that afternoon, providing more details about Maleah, including that she has had multiple brain surgeries in the past because she had a loose piece of skull.
She requires constant care.
Houston Police Department press conference on missing 4-year-old girl
Monday, May 6
At 10:30 a.m., the Houston Police Department requested the immediate help of Texas EquuSearch to try to find Maleah.
Volunteers searching on foot and by ATV in a field in northeast Houston near Highway 59 and Greens Road. This is where Maleah's stepdad says he was approached by the men Friday night.
"We want to start checking every single dumpster just in case," said Texas EquuSearch's Tim Miller. "We believe in miracles. Let's hope we get one."
ABC13 Eyewitness News learned the child was recently returned to her home after CPS removed her last August.
According to CPS officials, the girl and her two siblings - 5-year-old and 1-year-old boys - were removed as the agency investigated allegations of physical abuse related to her head injury.
The three siblings were brought back in February.
In an exclusive interview with ABC13 Eyewitness News, Brittany Bowens, Maleah's mother, said it was determined a fall was the cause of the girl's injuries.
She said she is terrified for her young daughter.
"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," Bowens said tearfully.
Tuesday, May 7
Texas EquuSearch volunteers return to the area of Highway 59 and Greens Road to resume search on foot and by ATV.
Missing girl's mom says she is terrified for her
Maleah's biological father, Craig Davis, also speaks for the first time since his daughter's disappearance.
He said that he hadn't spoken publicly until this moment because he wasn't sure how he would react with his child still missing.
"I haven't spoken to the public because I can't talk about my daughter. I can't control my emotions. I can't predict myself. I break down and I cry," he said.
He also said that he is not blaming anyone, but has many unanswered questions. Davis added that he wants Vence, the girl's stepdad, to speak to him about what happened when the girl disappeared.
Investigators have spoken with Maleah's biological father, and he is cooperating with police.
WATCH: Missing girl's biological dad: 'I can't control my emotions'
Thursday, May 9
A woman spots the Nissan Altima belonging to Maleah's family in the parking lot at 5425 Highway 6 in Missouri City. The woman reported the vehicle to police after saying she recognized it from a photo aired on ABC13.
After confirming the vehicle was the correct one, investigators searched it. Maleah's mom also arrives at the scene, where she is consoled. "Where is Maleah? Where is my baby?" she tearfully yelled.
There is still no sign of Maleah at this point. The search resumed for the girl after weather halted it the day before.
Anyone with information on Maleah Davis' whereabouts is urged to contact HPD at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
Friday, May 10
Exclusive surveillance photos are released showing Vence before and after Maleah disappeared.
In one photo, Vence is seen leaving the family's apartment last Friday, May 3, with a laundry basket and a black garbage bag inside.
Sources believe Vence is seen in a second photo purportedly showing his arrival at Sugar Land Methodist Hospital Saturday night. His 1-year-old son can be seen in his arms, but Maleah is not with them.
Also on Friday, Maleah's mom Brittany Bowens, who stood next to community activist Quanell X, levied bombshell allegations against Vence, her now-ex fiance, claiming that he abused her daughter.
Quanell said that he was making what he calls an 'urgent statement' in Maleah's disappearance.
He said Vence told Bowens he was cleaning up their apartment.
"She didn't understand why he would be cleaning up the apartment. But he went and bought an extra bottle of Clorox and came back," Quanell said.
Quanell also suggested that Vence was angry after Bowens reportedly broke off the couple's engagement.
"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 said. "There is a reason to believe, based on what I know now, there's issues of him possibly molesting young Maleah."
Quanell admitted Bowens never reported any alleged abuse to police.
ABC13 reached out to Vence for a response to the allegations.
READ MORE: Mom of missing Maleah Davis makes bombshell allegations against her ex-fiance
Saturday, May 11
Vence was arrested on a tampering with evidence charge in Maleah's disappearance. He was taken into custody earlier in the day at a relative's home in Sugar Land by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force.
A judge set bond at $1 million on the "tampering with evidence, namely a corpse" count, according to jail records. Law enforcement officials have not yet confirmed whether the girl died, but investigators do not think Maleah is still alive.
Vence appeared in Harris County Probable Cause Court Saturday night.
Sunday, May 12
Footage shows the last time Maleah is seen alive on April 30. She's wearing a pink tutu as she goes into her family's apartment with Vence.
April 30 is also the same day that Maleah's mother left town for a funeral.
Police say that the laundry basket Vence was seen with in the May 3 photo was found along with a gas can in the trunk of the Nissan Altima he reported stolen.
According to police, K-9 officers that are trained to sniff the scent of a cadaver were brought to the suspect's vehicle and other vehicles in the parking lot. Both dogs reacted to the suspect's trunk, indicating that they sensed human decomposition in the vehicle.
Police also say they observed drops of blood in the hallway leading to the bathroom of Vence's apartment and on various surfaces of the bathroom.
Officials say they then used a chemical agent that was sprayed and reacted to blood in the hallway and bathroom of the apartment. They say the chemical reacted to the presence of blood that could not be seen by the eye.
Police also revealed the same vehicle was seen on surveillance video on May 5 at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, where someone dropped off Vence. It was there that Vence first made the claim that he was attacked and that Maleah may have been kidnapped.
Monday, May 13
Vence's bond was originally set at nearly $1 million on Saturday, but it was lowered Monday to $45,000.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The search continues for missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis