Loved ones preparing to say goodbye to Maleah Davis later this month are also contending with another hardship, as an online petition calling for the slain little girl’s mother to be charged in her death appears to be gaining traction.
Loved ones preparing to say goodbye to Maleah Davis later this month are also contending with another hardship, as an online petition calling for the slain little girl’s mother to be charged in her death appears to be gaining traction.
A private funeral service for 4-year-old Maleah will be held June 22 at an undisclosed location, according to her obituary.
“She touched the lives of many; our shining, beautiful little girl, the light of our lives and the star of our hearts who leaves us smiling through our tears,” the memorial for the Texas girl read. “She was happiness personified.”
A consummate girly-girl who loved to sing and dance, Maleah was also happiest spending time with her siblings, the obituary said.
“She never missed a moment to pose in front of the camera with them in action,” it read.
Maleah is survived by her two brothers, as well as her father Craig Davis Jr. and her mother, Brittany Bowens, who has come under fire for her actions in the wake of her daughter’s disappearance and the subsequent arrest of her ex-fiance, Derion Vence.
“From DAY ONE Brittany Bowens has been faking her emotions over this case as well as lying to police officers about details. She knew what happened to her daughter,” a petition entitled “Charge Brittany Bowens in Maleah Davis Death” read. “Brittany should be charged with the same crime as Darion[sic] for the death of 4 year old Maleah!”
By Wednesday, the petition had more than 37,800 signatures.
Bowens had left town for her father’s funeral in Massachusetts and left Maleah and the young son she shares with Vence in his care April 30. But by the time Bowens had returned to Houston, Vence had claimed Maleah had been abducted by men who attacked him in an assault that rendered him unconscious.
Vence has since been charged with tampering with evidence in connection to Maleah’s disappearance. He has denied killing her.
On May 28, Quanell X, a former spokesman for Bowens, said he was no longer representing her because he believes “she knows what happened” to her missing daughter, according to a report.
Quanell X claimed Bowens' behavior almost immediately raised red flags, but said he remained by her side for as long as he did to get information he feared police searching for the 4-year-old girl could not, he said to KHOU-TV.
“[Bowens] said to me when we [were] riding in my car what she believed really happened to Maleah,” he said. “At that point, I knew what needed to be done. So I arranged to meet as quickly as I could with investigators at the highest level of this case and shared everything that we had learned and discovered.”
Quanell X declined to provide specifics to KHOU, but said Bowens' behavior in front of and away from the cameras differed greatly.
“There was not a lot of tears,” he said of Bowens when they were alone. “She was always calm, fluid, clear. Now, whenever there was a public thing, she would always break down.”
Authorities have spoken with Quanell X about his alleged concerns and are vetting the information he provided, law enforcement sources told KHOU.
Bowens has not been charged with any crime and has not been named a suspect in connection to her daughter’s vanishing. She has spoken out against Quanell X and said he is misrepresenting the family’s past, KRIV reported.
“People are entitled to however they think ... I know my truth," she said after being lambasted by protesters outside of a scheduled court appearance for Vence. "And I love my daughter unconditionally ... I don't have it in my heart to do anything like that."
Remains found in a garbage bag were positively identified as those of Maleah by the Harris County Medical Examiner on June 3. Her cause and manner of death are pending.
"I just don't understand this," Bowens said after her daughter’s body had been found. "It's not fair, because she didn't deserve that."
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