'My Little Pony' Casket for 4-Year-Old Texas Girl Found Dead Weeks After Going Missing
In a touching tribute, the family of Maleah Davis, the 4-year-old Texas girl who was found dead after being reported missing last month, had her casket pained with a “My Little Pony” theme.
The colorful casket was built and donated by Texas-based SoulShine Industries, CNN reports. SoulShine owner Trey Ganem told the station, “The casket is the most important part of remembering somebody, so it should be special.”
Covered with “My Little Pony” characters, a portrait of Maleah and a rainbow, the casket was designed by Courtney Sublett, who worked closely with the little girl’s family.
“It’s such a tragic thing, I’m glad we could bring a little light to her story,” Sublett said, CNN reports.
On May 3, Maleah was reported missing by her stepfather, Derion Vence, who claimed he’d been knocked unconscious in a carjacking and that the girl had been abducted by three Hispanic men.
RELATED: Stepdad’s Statements ‘Contradictory’ in Case of Missing Girl, 4, He Claimed Was Abducted: Police
Early on police were suspicious of Vence, whose account allegedly shifted, and he was later taken into custody after Maleah’s blood was found in the hallway and bathroom of the apartment he shared with the girl’s mother.
On May 30, Maleah’s body was found inside a garbage bag, dumped alongside a highway in Arkansas.
As authorities await an autopsy to determine Maleah’s cause of death, Vence has been charged with tampering with a corpse.
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Although the public will not be invited to Maleah’s private memorial on June 22, members of the community have left flowers, teddy bears and toys outside the Houston funeral home. A sign outside says all toys will be donated to the Houston Fire Department, CNN reports.
Vence remains jailed on a $1 million bond. Attorney information for him was not available Thursday.
