HOUSTON — Among those hoping for a miracle in the Maleah Davis case are friends and staff at her preschool.
They gave us exclusive access and say they last saw the missing four-year-old in April.
The center is full of happy children and bright colors, and there's a cubby marked with Maleah's name.
“I’m hoping that Maleah’s alive and they find her,” said manager Roshonda Hines.
Staff and students at Attitude, Respect, and Manners Learning Center told us Maleah was filled with energy, love, and joy.
“She got along with all the kids,” Hines said. “She kept a smile on her face, for the most part.”
Hines says Maleah couldn’t play outside due to a recent brain surgery and had to keep her head covered.
Flyers seeking information on her disappearance now hang inside and outside the center.
“Those flyers make me sad,” Hines said.
Students, like Morire Tijani, are too young to comprehend what’s going on with their friend.
“I miss Maleah,” said Tijani.
The center’s records show Maleah was last there on April 26.
That’s a week before her stepfather claims she was kidnapped by three men who attacked him, on May 3.
Hines said Derion Vence picked up his son earlier the very same day.
“All of the kids are asking about her and the parents are shocked that she goes here and she’s missing,” said Hines. “A child we see daily.”
And a child they pray they’ll see again.