The family representative of a Vancouver woman and her daughter who were found dead Wednesday is speaking out against the court system she says failed to protect them from a violent criminal.
“In this particular case, of all the hundreds of cases I’ve worked on, this by far is one of the most painful cases,” said Michelle Bart, the president and CEO of the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation.
The bodies of Meshay Melendez and her 8-year-old daughter Layla Stewart were found in a rural part of Clark County Wednesday, 10 days after they were last seen.
Melendez’s boyfriend Kirkland Warren is a person of interest in the case.
Bart says Warren’s criminal record shows he was an extreme risk of lethality to Melendez, and he should never have been released from jail earlier this month.
“You can’t blame the judge,” she said. “She gave exactly what they asked for, and then he got out, and killed two innocent lives.”
Here is a timeline of the events.
Court documents show Warren was arrested on March 2 for shooting at Melendez’s home in December.
On March 3, he was released on bail and ordered to have no contact with Melendez.
On March 6, he was arrested again for violating the protection order by calling Melendez from jail.
On March 8, he was released from jail.
On March 12, Melendez and her daughter were seen for the last time with Warren in his car by a witness.
On March 18, Melendez and her daughter were reported missing.
On March 20, Warren was arrested and charged with tampering with a witness, violating a protection order, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
On March 21, Warren was named a person of interest in the disappearance of Melendez and her daughter, and a judge ordered that bail be increased to $1 million and ankle monitoring.
On March 22, the bodies of Melendez and her daughter were found.
“She was so beautiful, so outgoing,” said Jean Booth, who was Meshay’s godmother when she was little. “She was a great mom, and Layla was just gorgeous. She probably would have been a super model given the chance to grow up. God, it breaks my heart.”
Court documents show Warren had scored a 31 on a danger assessment scale that only went up to 18. He also has an indictment for murder in Arkansas from 2017.
Bart says the Clark County Court knew this information and failed to protect Melendez and her daughter.
“When somebody ranks a 31 with a maximum of 18, that should be a huge red flag to keep them locked up,” she said.
“So, shame on the county, shame on the county.”
KATU News reached out to the Clark County Prosecutors Office for comment on this case, but we have not heard back.
YWCA Clark County and NWCAVE are hosting a vigil on Sunday, March 26 at 11 a.m. at Esther Short Park to honor Melendez and Stewart.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, there is help available. You can call 1-800-799-SAFE, or chat with someone online at thehotline.org.