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.
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.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/derion-vance-mug-ho-mo-20190512_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg)
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.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/meleah-davis-01-as-ap-190725_hpEmbed_19x12_992.jpg)
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.
![](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/maleah-davis-missing-flt-ap-ps-190508_hpMain.jpg)
![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.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/maleah-davis-02-as-ap-190725_hpMain.jpg)
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.