Remains found in Arkansas identified as 4-year-old

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has positively identified the remains found in Arkansas on Friday as those of 4-year-old Maleah Davis.

The cause and manner of her death are pending.

On Friday, the remains were discovered on an Arkansas roadside in a garbage bag. Authorities in Arkansas processed the scene throughout the day on Friday. Once all evidence was collected, the remains, confirmed to belong to a human child, were then gathered and transported to Houston for testing.

The discovery came just hours after Derion Vence, Maleah Davis' mother's ex-fiance, confessed to a community activist that Maleah was dead. He said it was an accident and that he dumped her body in Arkansas.

The cause and manner of her death are not yet determined.

Vence had initially claimed Maleah was abducted last month. Vence remains jailed on a charge of tampering with evidence.