Recent court documents indicate the boyfriend of missing Meshay Melendez, 27, and her young daughter Layla, 7, had previously shot a gun at Meshay and made threats of violence against her.
Meshay and her daughter have not been seen since March 12. Meshay's abandoned vehicle was found on March 19.
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Newly-available court documents reveal that Meshay's boyfriend, Kirkland Warren, of Vancouver, was arrested on March 2, 2023 for firing a gun at Meshay and threatening to kill her nearly two months earlier. He was booked into the CCSO jail on charges of Drive-By Shooting, Assault II with Firearm, Felony Harassment, and Possession of a Stolen Firearm.
Warren was issued a no-contact order protecting Meshay. He was then released from jail after posting bail.
On March 19 Warren was again arrested by the Clark County Sheriff's Office on Unlawful Firearm Possession, Tampering with a Witness, and Protection Order Violation.
Warren is said to have been the last person seen with Meshay on March 12, 2023. Meshay's friend reported that she saw Warren and Meshay together in Warren's vehicle, with Meshay unresponsive or unconscious. The friend had been watching Meshay's daughter Layla, and Warren then took Layla into his own custody.
This was the last time the woman and her daughter were seen, and they were reported missing on March 18.
"Warren is a person of interest in the disappearance of Meshay and Layla and thus far, is the person we believe they [Meshay and Layla] were last with," Vancouver Police said Tuesday afternoon.
- Meshay is described as 5-foot 9-inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
- Layla is about 4 feet tall, weighing 50 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.
If you see either of them, call 911.
The court documents also state that Warren has an existing charge for murder in Arkansas.
"Due in part to new felony charges, Kirkland was also in jeopardy of having his release revoked and commanded to return to Arkansas," Warren's probable cause document states.
On March 21 a search warrant for a property and vehicle related to Warren was filed by the Vancouver Police Department. Law authorities were seeking to locate guns or knives that could belong to him, his cell phone, photographs, receipts, and DNA swabs.
If you have any information about Meshay & Layla’s whereabouts, please contact Detective Givens by email at robert.givens@cityofvancouver.us, or Detective Nolan chadd.nolan@cityofvancouver.us.
**EDITOR'S NOTE** A previous version of this story included details from a probable cause document that have been removed, both at the request of Vancouver Police and out of respect for family members.