HOUSTON — A vigil was held Sunday night for Maleah Davis.
The 4-year-old girl was murdered two years ago. Her remains were found in Arkansas.
The vigil was organized by activist Quanell X and came days after Derion Vence pleaded guilty to tampering with a corpse and injury to a child. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The story of Maleah shook not only the entire Houston community but the world.
Maleah was originally reported missing at the beginning of May after Vence, who was Maleah's stepfather, initially claimed she may have been abducted by men who had attacked him while he was on to pick up Maleah's mom from Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Nearly a month after Maleah was reported missing, Vence confessed to Quanell X the location of Maleah's body — which was in Fulton, Arkansas.
In 2019, Vence, who was 28 at the time, was charged with tampering with a corpse and injury to a child after the body of Maleah — who would have been six this year — was found on the side of the road in a trash bag in Arkansas.
Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller called the scene where Maleah's remains were found "gruesome."
"It was a terrible sight to see. It took hours gathering up body parts and evidence,” said Miller.
Months after the initial charges, the DA's Office filed a new charge against Vence — injury to a child/serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony — after reviewing all of the evidence, including Maleah's autopsy results.
The DA's office said Vence struck the then 4-year-old with his hand and a blunt object before the little girl died and didn't seek the proper medical care for her.
Maleah was laid to rest during a private funeral on June 22, 2019.