VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — It's been more than a month since Jalen Davis reported his 3-year-old daughter, Samalea Daniels, missing from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Davis, who doesn't have full legal custody of Samalea, said the young girl had been living with him over the past two years. He said the child's mother, Tianna Daniels, would visit them, which she did Father's Day weekend in June.
Davis said he went to work on the night Daniels visited and she told him she was taking Samalea out for ice cream. He didn't think much of it until he returned home to find her car gone and Samalea not in the house.
He even found his doorbell footage, which he shared, showing Daniels taking small child-sized suitcases to her car.
Since then, Samalea and Daniels were spotted in Virginia Beach where Daniels' grandmother lives.
"Since the day she was taken, I mean hours after she was taken, I've been going head-on, non-stop trying to get her back," Davis said over the phone to 13News Now.
Davis filed an emergency order in Virginia Beach to get Daniels to give Samalea back to him. A Virginia Beach judge signed the order, describing Samalea as an "endangered" missing child.
Over the weekend of July 22, Virginia Beach police officers said they found Daniels' car in the city but would not say exactly where they found her car.
However, neither Daniels nor Samalea were found inside. Investigators are still looking for the mother and daughter but have not said if they had any leads or believe where they might be.
"It seems very difficult for them to find her or for us to push forward right now, but I'm doing all I can do," Davis said. "I'm communicating with everyone I can communicate with every day and I'm just hoping to get some good news soon."
Detectives said they say they are actively searching for the mother and daughter. Davis said he's not sure where Samalea and Daniels could be since he doesn't know anyone who is close friends with Daniels at this time or what her intentions are.
Davis said while he does not believe Samalea is in extreme danger, he worries about the conditions she's been in the past month and who has been around her.
"Yeah, she's definitely a daddy's girl. I'm used to her waking me up in the morning and we would go find new things to do," Davis reminisced. "Just feels like every day, there's a new obstacle to jump through or a new lead to follow up on, but I'm not giving up."
Shortly after Daniels was spotted in Virginia Beach, her grandmother told 13News Now off-camera she doesn't believe Samalea is in any danger. However, Virginia Beach police said the 3-year-old is still considered endangered.
Anyone who has seen Samalea or her mother is asked to please contact the VBPD Detective Bureau at 757-385-4101, Mecklenburg County Detective Bureau at 704-353-0890, or call 911.