Protesters mob Maleah Davis’ mother after court hearing for her boyfriend

Quanell X walks out of the courtroom with Brittany Bowens, the mother of the missing 4-year-old, Maleah Davis after the court postponed a court appearance for Derion Vence, who is charged with tampering with evidence in the case of Maleah Davis' disappearance, Monday, May 13, 2019, in Houston. less Quanell X walks out of the courtroom with Brittany Bowens, the mother of the missing 4-year-old, Maleah Davis after the court postponed a court appearance for Derion Vence, who is charged with tampering with ... more Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Protesters mob Maleah Davis’ mother after court hearing for her boyfriend 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

A court date for Maleah Davis' mother's live-in boyfriend on Monday turned into a volatile scene as protesters chased the missing girl's mother out of the Houston courthouse and down the street, alleging that she was just as complicit in her daughter's possible death.

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At least a dozen people, some bearing signs and T-shirts declaring "Justice for Maleah," had arrived for an initial court appearance for Derion Vence, the boyfriend accused of tampering with a human corpse in the four-year-old's disappearance. His court date was reset, but the protesters and reporters swarmed mother Brittany Bowens when she walked out of court with community activist Quanell X.

CLUES: Police find blood linked to Maleah Davis in family's apartment

Bowens stood back when Quanell X spoke, shaking as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"The main thing right now that all of us want to know is, what did he do with Maleah?" Quanell X said.

The protesters drowned out Quanell X as he spoke to reporters.

"Why isn't she locked up?" one yelled.

"She let it happen," another said, referencing Bowens' admissions on Friday that she knew Vence might have been abusing and molesting her daughter.

After several minutes, Quanell X and Bowens walked down the hallway of the courthouse. Protesters followed, chanting, "Justice for Maleah!"

Several people yelled while tailing the mother down the street. One person handed her a poster and hugged her. Bowens broke down crying.

The mother had left Maleah and her other two children in Vence's care while she was out of state for a family member's funeral, Quanell X said. But on May 4, Vence reported Maleah missing and told police he had been knocked in-and-out of consciousness for nearly 24 hours while his stepdaughter was abducted. He said he was checking on a possible flat tire on the way to Bush Intercontinental Airport, where he was supposed to pick up his fiance, and was attacked by three men.

He said he woke up after nearly a day later, regained consciousness and got a ride to the hospital with his 1-year-old son, who was still with him.

In the days that have followed, police have tried grasping what really happened to the young girl, whose body hasn't been found.

A camera attached to an upstairs neighbor's porch might have helped bring together pieces of the puzzle. The video caught Vence going in and out of their Alief-area apartment twice on May 3, once while carrying a heavy laundry basket packed with a large trash bag, documents show. Houston police said Vence left the home during the second trip with cleaning supplies, including a bottle of bleach.

Drops of what may be Maleah's blood were found in the bathroom and a hallway leading to it at the apartment where she lived with her mother and Vence, according to court documents.

Two police dogs also smelled the "scent of decomposition" in the silver Nissan Altima that Vence drove the night of Maleah's reported disappearance, the documents state. The car was located in a Missouri City parking lot with a gas can and a laundry basket in the trunk. And investigators found footage of Vence arriving at the hospital in the Altima, despite claiming not to know the whereabouts of the vehicle after the abduction, according to charging documents.

MALEAH'S MISSING: Everything we know about the stepfather's arrest over the weekend

Vence, 26, was arrested Saturday at a relative's home in Sugar Land after nearly a week of ignoring calls from police. He was held in lieu of posting $1 million bond, which has since been lowered to $45,000, according to court records.

Vence's attorney, Tom Burton III, said he hasn't reviewed the evidence and is not yet prepared to speak about the case.

Houston Police Department officials haven't said whether they believe Maleah is still alive. Texas EquuSearch crews have spent days searching near Vence's apartment while many residents across Houston remain captivated by the effort.

Crystal Delmas, from the Cypress area, said she's been following Maleah's search through the local news and wanted to attend Vence's court hearing in support of the missing girl.

Delmas held up two signs before the hearing was reset. Some of the writing read, "Justice for our princess" and "lock them up."

"It's very heartbreaking," Delmas said. "She didn't have nobody."

Tamisha Mendoza, who said she is the cousin of Maleah's biological father, questioned why officials allowed Maleah back into her mother's care earlier this year. She had been in state custody after an unexplained head injury.

Mendoza said her cousin is still processing the situation.

"His daughter has been ripped away from him," she said.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

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karen.warren@chron.com