- Meshay Melendez was an American single mom who was last seen in the early hours of March 12, 2023
- She was later found dead alongside her 7-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, in rural Washington state
- Melendez’s boyfriend, Kirkland Warren has remained a person of interest in the disappearance and subsequent murder of the mother and child
Meshay Melndez was a 27-year-old American single mother and resident of Vancouver, Washington who went missing on March 12, 2023. Unfortunately, she and her daughter were later found dead in rural Clark County, Washington by the authorities.
The only person connected to the horrific murder of the mother and kid is Kirkland Warren, Meshay’s ex-boyfriend. He has since been arrested on multiple charges including violation of domestic violence restraining orders.
Who Is Meshay Melendez
Meshay was born in 1996. However, details about her family and early childhood are still under wraps. She was only brought to public attention in March 2023, after she was declared missing by the authorities. Until her unfortunate disappearance, Meshay was only known as a Washington state woman and mother of 7 years old Layla Stewart. Furthermore, we were able to discover that her daughter was a first-grade student at Endeavor Elementary School.
What Really Happened to Meshay Melendez?
Mesha and her kid were reported missing on March 12, 2023, as was already mentioned. The authorities made every effort to locate them, but their whereabouts remained a mystery till 10 days later. According to reports, Investigators learned that Melendez, her daughter, and an ex-boyfriend, Kirkland Warren, had stayed at the home of a friend on March 11, 2023, and all three were seen leaving at 6 a.m. the following morning in a burgundy Dodge Charger.
Sadly, on March 22, 2023, the mother and child’s bodies were discovered in a remote area of Clark County, Washington. Authorities were able to identify what they think to be the bodies of Meshay Melendez, 27, and Layla Stewart, 7, after someone called 911 to report two ‘life-sized mannequins’ down an embankment. On arrival, the police believed what they saw was the bodies of Melendez and her daughter because of unique identifying genetic marks.
SEE ALSO: Odee Perry: Life, Death, What Is The Shocking Truth About His Murder?
Was She Truy Murdered by Her ex-Boyfriend?
The Clark County Examiner’s Office is currently investigating Meshay’s death to identify its exact cause and Kirkland Warren remains a person of interest in the case owing to the allegations meted against him and his criminal record. It’s interesting to note that Kirkland Warren had previously been detained for allegedly abusing Melendez. Afterward, he was forbidden from speaking to her. Nonetheless, he went ahead and made contact with Meshay against this directive.
More so, prior to Meshay’s death, prosecutors had determined that Kirkland posed an ‘extreme risk’ to her after a danger assessment test was conducted on him.
Meanwhile, on March 14, 2023, a post was made on Melendez’s Facebook account and the post reads ‘DND’ which could be interpreted as ‘do not disturb.’ It’s unclear if she was alive at that time or if someone else made the post. More so, court documents say a friend of Melendez’s told police that she saw Melendez in Warren’s vehicle on March 12 and she was practically unresponsive and naked from the waist down. The friend also alleged Warren came to get Melendez’s daughter, who she had been watching.
Till now, the court is yet to prove whether or not Kirkland actually murdered his ex-girlfriend and her daughter. However, there have been several pieces of information from court records as well as police press releases that could make one easily assume Kirkland is guilty of the crime. Let’s look at Kirklan’s criminal record.
1. Nov. 27, 2017: Kirkland C. Warren shoots his passenger, Curtis Urquhart, with a 22-caliber handgun, after Urquhart repeatedly asks for money, and dumps his body in a ditch near Stuttgart, Ark. Warren later admits to shooting Urquhart, but he tells investigators he feared for his life.
2. Dec. 12, 2017: Warren is arrested in Arkansas in connection with the November homicide.
3. Feb. 7, 2018: Criminal charges of first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse are filed in the Arkansas case.
4. 2020: Vancouver police investigate Warren for possessing a stolen semi-automatic handgun. Officers contact him, and he surrenders it. The firearm remains in evidence.
5. March 31, 2021: Warren lies on an application to buy a 9 mm semi-automatic handgun at SafeFire in Camas. He says he is not under indictment for a felony when he has the pending murder case in Arkansas. His application is denied.
6. Dec. 13, 2022: Warren and Meshay Melendez argue at her Minnehaha area apartment. He subsequently leaves and shoots at Melendez’s balcony window, as she looks outside.
Dec. 23, 2022: Melendez calls 911 to report Warren assaulted her. She also reports the shooting from 10 days prior.
Feb. 3, 2023: Law enforcement interviews a friend who was present during the shooting and corroborates Melendez’s account.
Feb. 17, 2023: Melendez meets with investigators and recants her earlier statement. She says she lied about the shooting and claims she and her friend have mental health and drug issues, to explain away their earlier statements. She wants assurances Warren won’t be arrested. Investigators deem this to be suspicious.
March 2, 2023: Vancouver police arrest Warren.
March 3, 2023: Warren makes a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of second-degree domestic violence assault, drive-by shooting, making a false statement, harassment, and possession of a stolen firearm, between the series of alleged incidents.
