Mother of Maleah Davis blames girl’s stepfather for disappearance

This undated photo released by the Houston Police Department shows Maleah Davis. Houston police are trying to determine what happened to the 4-year-old girl after her stepfather said she was taken by men who released him and his 2-year-old son after abducting them as well. An Amber Alert was issued Sunday morning, May 7, 2019, for Maleah Davis. (Houston Police Department via AP) less This undated photo released by the Houston Police Department shows Maleah Davis. Houston police are trying to determine what happened to the 4-year-old girl after her stepfather said she was taken by men who ... more Photo: Associated Press Photo: Associated Press Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Mother of Maleah Davis blames girl’s stepfather for disappearance 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

The mother of missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis is blaming her common-law husband for the girl’s disappearance, alleging he might have retaliated after a fight and accusing him of past abuse.

Community activist Quanell X dropped the accusations on Friday, speaking on behalf of Maleah’s mother Brittany Bowens. He said Bowens has seen a surveillance video that apparently shows the girl’s stepfather walking out of his apartment with bleach, a laundry container and a black bag she believes contained the girl’s body.

“There’s a lot that hasn’t come out, that’s for sure,” he said Friday. “It’s just a sad story.”

Houston Police Department officials declined to comment on what evidence they might have, or corroborate whether Bowens was meeting with HPD officers Friday to discuss the video, which a neighbor apparently caught from their home.

“We’re not confirming anything at this point,” police spokesman Victor Senties said.

WHAT WE KNOW: Everything we know about the disappearance of 4-year-old Maleah Davis

Stepfather Darion Vence hasn’t been found since he reported Maleah’s disappearance, police said Thursday. They were “actively searching” for him but didn’t know if he was missing. They’ve said they don’t consider him a suspect or person of interest in the case.

He told police that he pulled over to check a flat tire around 9 p.m. last Friday while driving to Bush Intercontinental Airport to pick up Bowens. He said he was with Maleah and his 1-year-old son when three men approached him and knocked him unconscious, near Interstate 69 and Greens Road. He said he blacked out until 6 p.m. Saturday.

When he awoke, he was in Sugar Land with the boy, but Maleah was gone, he said. He sought medical attention four hours later and reported the girl missing and the Nissan Altima he was driving stolen.

That car was found in a Missouri City parking lot Thursday morning, police said.

In the video, Vence was seen the morning after Bowens went to Massachusetts for her father’s funeral carrying two bottles of bleach, a large laundry container and a black bag stuffed inside, Quanell X said.

Bowens believes that Maleah’s disappearance was triggered by a confrontation she had with Vence the day before her trip, Quanell X said. She asked Vence about nude photos he allegedly sent to another person, and he “snapped.”

He took it out on Maleah, possibly because of indications that he physically and sexually abused the girl, who has special needs, Quanell X said. She described severe bruising on the little girl’s leg on at least one occasion, as well as suspicions she had been molested.

“It was out of fear and out of being threatened by Mr. Darion that she covered up physical abuse of Maleah that the stepfather was doing,” the activist said. “For some reason, she was unwilling to tell everything she knew about him. And I think the mother has a twisted love for the man.”

Court documents show that the girl’s grandmother, Brenda Bowens, tried having Maleah and her two siblings placed in her home — rather than in foster care — during a Child Protective Services investigation that began last August.

MISSOURI CITY: Car involved in missing 4-year-old Maleah Davis case has been found

Maleah was taken into state custody after suffering an unexplained head injury, which was reported as an allegation of physical abuse and neglectful supervision.

Brittany Bowens told her mother that Maleah had “fallen from a tall chair to a marble table” but was fine. During a second hospital visit after the fall, she had a procedure that required half of her skull to be removed.

She had also been hospitalized on July 10, 2018, after vomiting with small amounts of blood, according to court records.

Police and Texas EquuSearch continue searching for Maleah.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

Twitter.com/sam_kett