Man indicted for tampering with body of slain 4-year-old Maleah Davis: DA

Maleah was reported missing on May 4. Her remains were found on May 31.

ByEmily Shapiro
July 25, 2019, 3:45 PM

Derion Vence has been indicted for tampering with the body of Maleah Davis -- his ex-fiance's daughter -- who was found slain weeks after she vanished, prosecutors said Thursday.

Maleah, 4, was reported missing in Houston on May 4.

Vence, who was caring for Maleah while her mother was away, had told police the girl was abducted by three men, including one who knocked him out during a carjacking.

PHOTO: Derion Vance was arrested on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in Houston.
Derion Vance was arrested on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in Houston.
Houston Police Department

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, however, quickly said detectives didn't believe his story.

Investigators found the family's car in Missouri City, Texas, and authorities said cadaver-sniffing dogs detected the scent of human remains inside.

PHOTO: Members of Texas EquuSearch conduct a search for four-year-old Maleah Davis Monday, May 6, 2019, in Humble, Texas.
Members of Texas EquuSearch conduct a search for four-year-old Maleah Davis Monday, May 6, 2019, in Humble, Texas.
Godofredo A. Vasquez/AP

On May 31, Maleah's remains were found in Arkansas.

The little girl's death was ruled a homicide, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said in June.

PHOTO: Maleah Davis in a undated photo released by the Houston Police Department.
Maleah Davis in a undated photo released by the Houston Police Department.
Houston Police Department via AP
PHOTO: Graig Davis, the father of four-year-old Maleah Davis, marched in honor of his four-year-old daughter Maleah Davis, whose body was found tossed along an Arkansas roadside last week, June 9, 2019, in Houston.
Graig Davis, the father of four-year-old Maleah Davis, and thousands of people marched from City Hall to the Harris County Jail in honor of his four-year-old daughter Maleah Davis, who went missing in early May and whose body was found tossed along an Arkansas roadside last week, on Sunday, June 9, 2019, in Houston.
Godofredo A, Vasquez/AP Photo

Vence had been charged with tampering with evidence on May 11 but was not indicted by a grand jury until now. He has not been charged with her death.

"When prosecutors receive a final autopsy report... that evidence will be considered as part of any decision regarding possible additional charges," the Harris County District Attorney's Office said Thursday.

"Our work continues to seek justice for Maleah," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement Thursday.

ABC News' Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.