Search for Maleah focuses on area suspect said is "perfect place to hide a body"

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Search crews are continuing to look for 4-year-old Maleah Davis along the mail route where her stepdad Derion Vence used to work in Rosharon.

Texas Equusearch searched along County Road 526 on Wednesday, an area of woods, swamps and not a lot of people. It's also an area Derion Vence reportedly said would be perfect for hiding a body.

“He actually said to his mother-in-law a year ago that 'Man, if I ever killed anybody, I’ve got some places down in Rosharon,'" said Tim Miller with Texas Equusearch.

Miller says he confirmed that statement with Maleah’s mom.

Tim then got with a detective to map out the mail route where Darion used to work for the postal service in 2017 and 2018.

"We felt as though this is an area we need to search," he said.

The latest search centers on the swampy woods around Skydive Spaceland on Hwy 521 where Darion used to deliver mail.

"This out here is considered the jungle," said Lee McMillian with Skydive Spaceland. "That’s usually about three or four feet deep. It’s got alligators and snakes in it."

The ground search consisted of people on foot and four wheelers.

"We feel as though there’s a strong possibility maybe she was burned," said Miller. "Many of these areas are under water. We’re trying to find a burned spot. We’re trying to find whatever we could find by the air."

Tim says law enforcement helicopters have searched by air and Skydive Spaceland offered up one of its airplanes to help search.

"You could hide pretty much anything you wanted to out here," said McMillian.

“Man, this is a baby. This baby did not choose where it’s at right now and doesn’t want to be where it’s at right now," Miller said.

Tim says after today, he’ll consider whether to suspend the ground search.

"God bless her. Just God bless her. We’re not gonna quit. We may suspend, but we’ll never quit,"

Tim says both his team and police have gotten a lot of tips from the public, including one that brought them to Richmond on Wednesday.

There is still no sign of Maleah, eleven days after she was reported missing.

If you have anything that could help solve the case, call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.