Yet for reasons still unknown, everyone but Maleah was released safely, the stepfather said. And the trio of men are nowhere to be found.
Now Texas authorities are scrambling to find Maleah, who was recently ill and has endured multiple brain surgeries throughout her young life.
“I realize there’s a lot blanks in the story” given by the stepfather, Houston police Sgt. Mark Holbrook said. He said detectives hope the public can help them “fill in the blanks.”
The stepfather says he was knocked unconscious
Maleah’s stepdad, Darion Vence, told detectives that he, Maleah and his son were on their way to the airport Friday night to pick up Maleah’s mother, who was flying in from Massachusetts, Holbrook said.
The stepfather then heard a “popping noise” like a popped tire and pulled over to check on it, Vence told police.
That’s when a blue pickup truck pulled up behind the car and two Hispanic males got out, according to Vence’s narrative to police.
One of the men commented, “Maleah looks very nice, looks very sweet,” Holbrook said, according to Vence’s account.
The other man hit Vence in the head and he lost consciousness, he told police.
The stepdad says he kept passing out
When Vence woke up, he said, he was in the back of the truck with Maleah and her brother. But three Hispanic males were suddenly in the truck, the stepfather said.
He told police he was in and out of consciousness until about 6 p.m. Saturday, when he woke up on Highway 6 with the 1-year-old boy.
Maleah was not there. Vence said he walked to a nearby hospital where he received treatment and reported her missing.
Maleah had multiple brain surgeries, police say
Holbrook said the young girl had multiple brain surgeries, including one in recent months.
The surgeries were intended to help an injury heal, he said.
“She’s needed a lot of care,” the police sergeant said. “This week she was sick too.”
Maleah’s head injury and allegations of physical abuse resulted in her and her two brothers being removed from their home in August, Tiffani Butler, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services spokesperson, told CNN Monday night.
In February, Butler said the judge in the case ordered the children be returned home, with Child Protective Services monitoring the home at least once a month to check on the family.
CPS is investigating and searching for Maleah with law enforcement.
Police have identified the makes of both cars
Police have posted a representative photo of the blue pickup truck that Vence said the abductors were driving.
An Amber Alert describes the car as a blue, crew-cab Chevy pickup truck, possibly a 2010 year model.
The car Vence was driving — a silver Nissan Altima belonging to Maleah’s mother — is also missing, police said.
A traffic camera captured an image of the Altima driving through an intersection in the Houston suburb of Sugar Land just before 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.
But there is still no trace of Maleah.
Maleah is about 3 feet tall and weighs 30 to 40 pounds. She was last seen wearing a light blue Under Armour jacket, blue jeans and gray Under Armour tennis shoes with pink and white details.
Houston police ask anyone with information about the case to call 713-308-3600.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the ages of Maleah Davis and her younger brother.
CNN’s Dakin Andone, Nick Valencia and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.