Meshay Melendez and daughter Layla Stewart.Photo: Vancouver Police Department/Facebook (2)
The ex-boyfriend of a Washington mom has been detained after authorities identified him as a person of interest in connection with the disappearance and subsequent deaths of the mother and her 7-year-old daughter, according to reports.
Police in Vancouver, Wash., say Meshay Melendez, 27, and Layla Stewart, 7, were last seen alive on the morning of March 12.
A friend alleged to police they last saw Melendez that day “unresponsive and naked from the waist down” in the car of her ex-boyfriend, Kirkland Warren.
Warren was taken into custody on charges of tampering with a witness, violation of domestic violence orders, and unlawful possession of a firearm, in connection to the disappearance of the mother and daughter, a Vancouver police news release reads.
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He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
An autopsy has been scheduled to determine their causes of death.
Meshay Melendez and daughter Layla Stewart.Vancouver Police Department/Facebook (2)
Warren is currently being held on $1 million bail.
Attorney information for Warren was not immediately available and it’s unclear if he entered a plea to the current charges.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
