Evidence of blood leads to arrest in Houston missing girl case, police say

(CNN) – The man who was watching Maleah Davis, 4, before disappearing was arrested, after evidence of blood found in his apartment was associated with that of the missing child, announced the Houston police.

Derion Vence, 26, was arrested on Saturday at a family member's home about 20 km southwest of Houston. He was sentenced to the Harris County Jail on suspicion of falsifying evidence – a human body, police said.

Authorities did not provide any information as to whether Maleah was alive.

His bond is set at $ 999,999, according to prison records.

Font: some details do not match

The story of Vence began to erase after he reported the disappearance of Maleah, police said.

He told investigators that he was going to the airport on May 4 and stopped to check if the sound coming from his Nissan Altima was a puncture.

When he stopped, several men in a van arrived, knocked him out and kidnapped him, Maleah and his son, a toddler. When he woke up a day later, the boy was there but Maleah was gone, he said, according to Houston police.

"Due to injuries he allegedly sustained during the abduction, he reportedly lost consciousness for approximately 24 hours and found him on Sunday, May 5. He was reported to have been found on foot in Sugar Land and reportedly He was taken to Houston Methodist Hospital, Sugar Land, for treatment. He then reported the disappearance of Maleah, "Houston police said in a statement.

Despite claims that his car was stolen during the abduction, footage of the surveillance showed that a person was filing it at the hospital on May 5 with the help of the same vehicle, the police said.

Police found the car on Thursday at the parking lot of a shopping mall in Missouri City, Texas.

An employee of a taxi company saw the car and called the police, said detective Ken Fregia. The car was about 5 miles from where Vence said that he had woken up.

A laundry basket was found in the trunk with a can of gasoline. The police urge all those who sold him the can of gasoline to contact the authorities.

The police call Vence Maleah's father-in-law. A spokesperson for her mother's family told CNN that the two had been engaged, but that has since ended.

Evidence of blood would have been found

In addition to conflicting information about his car, evidence of blood collected in Vence's apartment has been associated with Maleah, police said.

The suspect was also seen carrying a full laundry basket in the apartment, the police said, without providing details.

Maleah's father said that he was heartbroken by his daughter.

"I did not talk to the public because I can not talk about my daughter, I can not control my emotions," Craig Davis told CNN affiliate KTRK last week. "I can not predict myself, I break down and I cry."

CNN contacted Vence several times last week but did not get an answer. We do not know if he has a lawyer.

The falsification of a human corpse is a second-class crime in Texas. If he is found guilty, he incurs between two and twenty years in prison.

He must appear in court on Monday.

Steve Almasy and Hollie Silverman from CNN contributed to this report