I've been thinking about the time Maliyah was missing and how long she was actually in the water. I'm assuming that she was floating near the surface or was located in the shallows if the jogger was able to identify that she was, in fact, seeing a body.
Maliyah reportedly went missing on August 22 around 9:30 am and was found a little over 24 hours later on August 23. Assuming she ended up in the water pretty quickly after 9:30 am, is that enough time to float to the surface?
In general, a body will sink when the lungs fill with water. In the case of a drowning person, the lungs fill with water as part of the drowning process and the body generally sinks immediately. If a person is put into the water already deceased, the lungs will fill with water passively and the body will sink. This happens fairly quickly if the body is placed in water face up and slower if the body is placed facedown according to this article:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...BhAB&usg=AOvVaw05b-aaSj4pMM_DBm3lAU5y&cf=1
In either case, whether drowned in water or already dead when put there, once the body sinks it stays down until putrefaction occurs and the torso and abdomen fill with gases that propel it to the surface. In warm, shallow water this takes about two to three days. In cold, deep water the body may stay submerged indefinitely.
Bray's Bayou would have been in the shallower, warmer side. But is about 24 hours (or even slightly less) enough time for a submerged body to float?
Granted we don't yet know the exact circumstances /water location of Maliyah's body when seen by the jogger. But if she was already floating on the surface, this
could point to her being there from the night before or even a day or two before she was actually reported missing.
Just some thoughts.