HOUSTON – A mental health/intellectual evaluation was ordered for a man at the center of the investigation into the disappearance of 4-year-old Maleah Davis and the concealment of her remains.
Derion Vence was in a relationship with Maleah's mother, Brittany Bowens, at the time Maleah was reported missing, and he is accused of hiding her body in Arkansas after Maleah's death. Vence told a Houston community activist, Quannel X, that her death was a result of an accident.
The remains found near Hope, Arkansas, were positively identified as Maleah's earlier this week.
According to court records, Vence is ordered to undergo an evaluation "to determine whether (Vence) has a mental illness ... or is a person with an intellectual disability."
He is charged with tampering with evidence -- a human corpse, a felony. He is currently being held at the Harris County Jail in administration seperation, meaning Vence is not in a general population tank or cell. He is in his own single-door cell for his safety, according to officials. This separates him from general population, but has same privileges.
The cause of Maleah's death has not yet been determined.