Derion Vence confesses Maleah Davis is dead, says her body is in Arkansas

HOUSTON (FOX 26) - Derion Vence has confessed that four-year-old Maleah Davis is dead, according to Quanell X.

Vence, a person of interest in Maleah's disappearance and her mother's ex-fiance, made the confession to Quanell from jail Friday morning.

TIMELINE: A look at the timeline of events in Maleah Davis case

Quanell X held a press conference with Texas EquuSearch founder Tim Miller just before noon.

He says Vence told him that Maleah's death was an accident and that he admitted to dumping her body in a ditch in Arkansas.

After the confession, authorities in Arkansas found a black garbage bag in the area Vence indicated to Quanell.

MORE: Quanell X no longer representing Brittany Bowens, Maleah Davis' mother

"One thing [Vence] wanted to make clear to me was that what happened to Maleah was an accident," Quanell said. "He confessed to me where he dumped her body."

Miller said search crews are traveling in a private plane to Arkansas at 3 p.m. to recover her body.

Vence's court-ordered attorney, Dorian C. Cotlar, tells FOX 26 he is not happy with this development. He does not know how Quanell was able to visit Vence in jail.

Cotlar has asked a Harris County district judge to block jail visits from Quanell X and his associates.

Houston law enforcment detectives are accompanying Miller's search crew to Arkansas.

Arkansas State Police, local authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are on the ground searching the area that Vence indicated to Quanell. Vence, however, is not assisting investigators in their search.

This comes almost four weeks after an Amber Alert was issued for Maleah.

Maleah's disappearance grabbed the attention of the nation due to the ever-changing narrative around her disappearance.

Maleah's mother, Brittany Bowens and her ex-fiance Vence have both been criticized by the public for their changing accounts and their history with Child Protective Services.

Bowens initially defended Vence, only to later implicate him in Maleah's death. She threw several shocking allegations against him, including abuse of her daughter.

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