Houston city hall to turn pink in honor of Maleah Davis as activists march to jail

TIMELINE: See how the events surrounding the disappearance of 4-year-old Maleah Davis unfolded >>> TIMELINE: See how the events surrounding the disappearance of 4-year-old Maleah Davis unfolded >>> Photo: Houston Police Department Photo: Houston Police Department Image 1 of / 47 Caption Close Houston city hall to turn pink in honor of Maleah Davis as activists march to jail 1 / 47 Back to Gallery

Houston's city hall in downtown will light up pink this Sunday to honor 4-year-old Maleah Davis, whose body was found in Arkansas on Friday.

Maleah's body was found only after an alleged jailhouse confession from Derion Vence, the ex-boyfriend of the girl's mother. Vence reported her missing on May 4 but allegedly told community activist Quanell X last week that he accidentally killed her and stashed her body in Hope, Arkansas.

On Monday, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that city hall will light up pink on Sunday in remembrance of the girl, whose favorite color was pink. Detectives picked up a small pink hair barrette near her body in Arkansas when they recovered her body, according to a Houston Chronicle report.

"Maleah was a sweet, beautiful, and innocent little girl who deserved a chance to enjoy life just like any other child," Turner said. "She belonged to our community, and we share a collective grief."

Also on Sunday, community members will march from city hall to the Harris County Jail – where Vence sits on a $45,000 bond amount – to honor the girl. The march starts at city hall (901 Bagby) and will make its way to the jail.

The march will start at 7:54 a.m., the same time of day when Maleah was last seen alive, according to organizer Sheila Smith.

Marchers are encouraged to where pink.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message