A Washington man has admitted to shooting and killing his ex-girlfriend and her young daughter, before dumping their bodies near a rural road.
As reported by Local 12 News, Vancouver police attempted to conduct a welfare check on Meshay Melendez and her daughter Layla Stewart on March 18, 2023, but found the residence empty (except for a barking dog).
Melendez's friends and family said they hadn't heard from her in a week, and one even said the mother and daughter hadn't been home at all recently.
Investigators said they learned Melendez and Stewart had apparently stayed at a friend's house with 28-year-old Kirkland Warren on the last day she was seen. The friend whose home the group stayed in said they saw Melendez and Warren leave the home without the child.
They said that when Warren returned, Melendez was in his passenger seat "passed out." The friend said Warren brought Stewart to the car and left.
Warren was Melendez's Ex, Was Released on Bond for Domestic Violence Charges
During the investigation police learned that Warren was Melendez's ex-boyfriend and that he was released on bond for domestic violence charges and was specifically told not to contact Melendez.
A day after the investigation started, Melendez's mother found Meshay's car. Police investigated the car and found that it had copious amounts of evidence that pointed toward Warren's guilt, including "blood evidence," "children's clothing matching clothing Layla was believed to be wearing," ".22 shell casings," and "a purse containing Melendez's identification," according to a news release.
Police arrested Warren on charges of tampering with a witness and violating the order to stay away from Melendez.
Warren's DNA Found on Stewart's Body, Made Google Searches on 'How to Remove Blood from Car Seat'
Melendez and Stewart were found in a ditch off the side of a rural road on March 22, 2023. According to court documents, Stewart was found unclothed from the waist down, and that Warren's DNA was found on her. The investigation uncovered Warren's behavior leading up to the incident.
According to evidence from prosecutor, Warren texted a woman questions about how to buy a gun and asked about secluded areas. He also sent texts about needing to get rid of Melendez's car, or "stolo." Police said Warren wired himself $4,200 from his ex-girlfriend's account.
When Warren's phone was searched, investigators found Google searches like:
- "how to get blood out of a car seat"
- "how to beat murder"
- "killing the only witness"
Warren Previously Charged with Killing a Man in Arkansas in 2017, Disposing Body in Ditch
Warren was previously charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a man in Arkansas in 2017. The man was shot in the head and disposed in a ditch, which is the exact same way Melendez and Stewart were killed.
Melendez and her daughter went missing four days after Warren was released from custody. Warren pled guilty to the murder of Melendez and her daughter on Thursday. He will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility for parole.
