Missing Meshay Melendez And Daughter Found Dead In Washington

A missing mother and her 7-year-old daughter were found dead in a rural neighborhood in Washington state on Wednesday, and police are considering her ex-boyfriend a person of interest.

Meshay “Karmen” Melendez, 27, and her daughter, Layla Stewart, went missing on March 12, and a witness told police that they’d seen Melendez in her ex-boyfriend’s car. Kirkland Warren had previously been arrested for allegedly assaulting Melendez and had been ordered to have no contact with her.

On March 19, as Melendez and her daughter remained missing, Warren was arrested on suspicion of tampering with a witness, fourth-degree assault, drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm, and violation of domestic violence orders; he remains in custody at Clark County jail.

According to an arrest warrant dated before Melendez’s disappearance, Warren was taken into custody on March 2 for allegedly physically assaulting, harassing, and shooting her in December 2022. At that time, he was ordered to have no contact with her. 

Police said the two talked about ending their relationship, and Warren had threatened to kill Melendez. Prosecutors determined that he posed an “extreme risk” to her and scored a 31 on a scale that typically goes between 1 and 18 during a danger assessment, according to the arrest warrant. 

Warren was released on bail on March 10, only two days before Melendez and her daughter were last seen alive, according to KGW.