Authorities in Texas have located the car reported stolen by the stepfather of 4-year-old Maleah Davis who has been missing since last week. The gray Nissan Altima was discovered by a taxi driver in the parking lot of a Houston suburb Thursday (May 9).
The car was unlocked with no noticeable damage, according to the Associated Press. Maleah’s stepfather, Darion Vence, claims that she was kidnapped by two men in a pickup truck. However, Houston police say Vence’s story has changed several times and that they are now unable to get in contact with him. He is currently a “person of interest” in the case.
Vence told authorities that he was approached by unidentified men after he pulled over to fix a flat tire while on his way to pick up Maleah’s mother, Brittany Bowens, from the airport last Friday (May 3). He maintained that the men knocked him unconscious and abducted him and the children. He went on to say that the men eventually let him and his son go free but disappeared with Maleah. Vence reported Maleah missing a day later.
Bowens, who was at the scene when the missing vehicle was discovered, was seen on her hands and knees and in tears. “Where is my baby?” she was heard saying.
Last summer, Maleah and her two brothers were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services after Maleah suffered a head injury that led to multiple brain surgeries. The children’s relatives were caring for them before they were returned to their parents in February, although CPS continued to monitor the children. Bowens has denied allegations that Maleah was being physically abuses.
The remaining children have since been removed from the custody of Bowens and Vence who are banned from contacting them.