After a month-long search, the body of 4-year-old Maleah Davis has been discovered and returned to Houston.
A medical examination confirmed human remains discovered on the side of an Arkansas road belonged to Maleah Davis.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Scientists confirmed its findings on Monday, according to ABC News. A cause of death has not been determined.
The remains were first discovered on Friday after suspect Derion Vence told activist Quanell X where he dumped the body. Vence, who was dating Davis’ mother, also told Quanell the death was an accident but would not elaborate.
Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller expressed certainty about the identity of the corpse prior to the coroner’s announcement, according to KHOU.
“It was a gruesome sight. It was a terrible sight to see. It took hours gathering up body parts and evidence,” Miller said on Sunday. “I think it’s going to match some clothing and other things there that was found. I think I’m 99.9 percent.”
He was worried the examiner would have trouble identifying the body since the remains, which were in a trash bag, were run over by law mowers. One of the few items left intact was a little pink barrette.
“They’re doing an autopsy to determine the cause of death,” he admitted. “I think it’s going to be impossible.”
"This has been a very, very, very rough day," Quanell X told ABC 13 on Friday when the remains were first discovered and hadn’t yet been confirmed. "I just want to say to everybody here at the city of Houston and everybody around the world that has prayed for Maleah. She's home."
BREAKING: Police in Arkansas just found a black garbage bag with a foul odor w/ bones and blood inside. Quanell X pointed police there. He confirms and says he quite sure Maleah’s body has been found. #MaleahDavis
#abc13
pic.twitter.com/sm5NF2jZPd— Chauncy Glover (@ChauncyOnTV) May 31, 2019
Prior to learning the girl's body was left in Arkansas, the activist represented Maleah's mother, Brittany Bowens. ABC 13 reports the search shifted to Hempstead County and Hope, Arkansas, when authorities learned Vence dumped the remains off of a side of the road.
"One thing he wanted to make clear to me was [that] what happened to Maleah was an accident, he says it was an accident. And he confessed to me where he dumped the body," the activist told CNN affiliate KTRK.
In a 15-minute interview with ABC 13, Quanell X revealed the 26-year-old suspect was allegedly taking care of Maleah and his other children "90%" of the time. Before the murder of the child, Bowens went out of town leaving the 4-year-old with Vence.
Apparently, before Bowens left, the two were reportedly not on good terms. Vence's sexuality was allegedly questioned in a heated exchange over a slew of sexts sent to another man. The two were reportedly on the verge of marriage prior to the blow-up.
"He was angry with Brittany and he was very agitated with Brittany about her discovering him, sending these pictures of his private parts to another man and she calling him gay and saying that she was giving a ring back to him, that drove him over the edge," Quanell said.
Instead of dealing with the issue with Bowens, Vence took his anger out on the helpless child. He reportedly punched the child before killing her. He also confessed to bagging Maleah's body and dumping the remains in a wooded-area in Hope Arkansas. Security footage from the Houston apartment they lived caught Vence carrying a laundry basket with a garbage bag inside.
The girl's remains have been returned to Houston for further DNA testing while the investigation enters its last phase.