<body><div><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><div style="position:relative;width:100%; height:0; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.mp.lura.live/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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" style="width:100%; height:100%;top:0; left:0; position:absolute"></iframe></div></div> VANCOUVER, Wash. ( <a href="https://www.koin.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> KOIN </a> ) – Wearing red, pink and purple, hundreds of family and community members gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to remember a mother and daughter killed in a case of domestic violence. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year-old daughter Layla Stewart were last seen alive March 12. Their bodies were discovered March 22 in a Washougal ditch. Authorities said Melendez’s former boyfriend, Kirkland Warren, is a “person of interest” in their disappearance and homicides. <figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=370Ux1_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=370Ux1_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="449" ><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Pictures of Meshay Melendez and her daughter Layla Stewart at a vigil in their honor in Vancouver, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure> Court documents show Warren assaulted Melendez, shot up her apartment and violated a domestic violence protection order in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> At Sunday’s vigil, Melendez’s friend Makayla Jeter called her genuine and her death “is truly sickening.” Meshay and Layla’s family did not speak on camera Sunday. But Michelle Bart with the <a href="https://nwcave.org/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation </a> read their statement which described Meshay as a caring mother with an infectious laugh who would do anything for Layla. Bart said “Meshay was always caring, always had a huge heart and always made sure that all her loved ones were good.” She said this tragedy highlights the need for legislation and reform. <a class="promo-link__link" href="https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/35-year-old-portland-man-found-dead-from-gun-violence-in-gresham/?ipid=promo-link-block1" rel="nofollow" target="&quot;_blank&quot;"> Portland man, 35, shot to death in Gresham, no arrests </a> “I’m pissed, this organization is pissed, this family is pissed,” Bart said. “Why do we have to wait until something happens, where there’s blood on our hands? Let’s try to prevent it from happening.” <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “Instead of us fighting to have new bills and new laws implemented, we need to turn around and start changing the ones in place in order to make them stronger so things like this don’t continue to happen,” Bart said Sunday. <h3> ‘I never wanted to come to one of these again’ </h3> Sunday’s event not only honored their memory, it shed a light on the impacts of domestic violence and the lives claimed by it. <figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3jaoW2_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3jaoW2_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="440" ><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Family and friends gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to honor the memory of Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> “I’m pretty emotional because I never wanted to come to one of these again,” said VPD Sgt. Tanya Wollstein. “I never wanted to have another victim of domestic violence murdered here in Clark County.” Wollstein, who is with the department’s Domestic Violence Unit, stressed the need for statewide lethality assessments for domestic violence offenders and suggested a constitutional amendment that would allow judges to deny bail for extreme risk offenders along with laws forcing them to participate in monitoring with victim notification. “I know we have to do more to keep domestic violence victims safe,” Wollstein said. “That’s why I worked on the Tiffany Hill Act.” <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/washington/new-wa-law-helps-protect-domestic-abuse-victims/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> The Tiffany Hill Act </a> , named after a Vancouver woman murdered by her estranged husband, grants domestic violence victims a layer of protection by electronically tracking abuse suspects with ankle monitors and alerting victims when they’re nearby. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0slv4b_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0slv4b_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="449" ><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Washington State Sen. Lynda Wilson, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure> While the act was not applied in this case, jail records show Warren scored 31 on a risk assessment scale of 1-18 — with 18 being extreme risk. Senator Lynda Wilson, who helped pass the Tiffany Hill Act, said she is already requesting new legislation since she feels more needs to be done. “We need to be looking at those high scores and then holding on to the people, because the higher that score, the more chances something drastic or deadly is going to happen to the victims,” Wilson said. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The vigil was organized by NWCAVE and YWCA Clark County “in conjunction with the family” of the slain mother and daughter. <ul class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_swiper-wrapper swiper-wrapper"><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Family and friends gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to honor the memory of Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year=-old daughter, Layla Stewart, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=33qtR8_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=33qtR8_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="445" ><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Family and friends gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to honor the memory of Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year=-old daughter, Layla Stewart, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3HcXmx_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3HcXmx_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="443" ><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Family and friends gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to honor the memory of Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year=-old daughter, Layla Stewart, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3nWFTz_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3nWFTz_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="454" ><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Family and friends gathered in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park to honor the memory of Meshay Melendez, 28, and her 8-year=-old daughter, Layla Stewart, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0v21mU_0lW9VrLq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0v21mU_0lW9VrLq00" width="800" height="450" ><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Michelle Bart with the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence and Exploitation, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li><li class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_slide swiper-slide"><figure><figcaption class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_caption gallery-caption">Pictures of Meshay Melendez and her daughter Layla Stewart at a vigil in their honor in Vancouver, March 26, 2023 (KOIN) </figcaption></figure></li></ul><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-prev swiper-button-prev swiper-button-white"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-next swiper-button-next swiper-button-white"></a><a class="wp-block-jetpack-slideshow_button-pause"></a> As of Friday evening, Warren was not facing any charges for their disappearance or death. Authorities said Warren had once been in a relationship with Melendez. Warren is also wanted in Arkansas in connection to the <a href="https://www.koin.com/news/crime/suspect-in-missing-vancouver-mom-daughter-case-appears-in-arkansas-court/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> 2017 murder of Curtis Urquhart </a> . Court documents show Warren admitted to shooting the man in the head and dumping him in a ditch. YWCA provides a 24-hour <a href="https://ywcaclarkcounty.org/what-we-do/safechoice-domestic-violence-program/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> SafeChoice </a> Domestic and Sexual Violence hotline (1.800.695.0167) and a national 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline (1.800.799.7233). The organization also has a <a href="https://wscadv.org/resources/friends-family-guide/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Friends &amp; Family Guide </a> . Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. <a href="https://www.koin.com" rel="nofollow"> For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. </a></div></body>

Mountain View, CA

Wearing red, pink and purple, dozens of family and community members gathered in Vancouver's Esther Short Park to remember a mother and daughter killed in what appears to be a case of domestic violence.