A Philadelphia foster parent is accused of the “brutal murder” of a 10-year-old girl in her care who was initially reported missing and later found dead following a dayslong search, officials said.
The girl, Malayshia Alford, was located in a vehicle in New Jersey this week following the urgent search, officials said.
Carprice Williams, 36, has been charged with murder in connection with the girl’s death, as well as endangering the welfare of a child, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse, according to police.
Williams was Malayshia’s foster parent, according to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, calling it a “horrific situation” during a news conference on Thursday announcing the charges.
Malayshia is believed to have been last seen alive on Oct. 22 at her home in Philadelphia, according to Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski.
Investigators believe that shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 26, an individual removed her body from the home “in some type of bag” and into a vehicle, she said, citing video surveillance law enforcement officials say they recovered this week. That individual was not Williams, according to the district attorney.
Carprice Williams is seen in a booking photo.
Philadelphia Police Department
The video helped identify a suspect vehicle, and a witness associated with the vehicle assisted in leading investigators to Malayshia, according to Toczylowski. The girl’s body was found in the trunk of another vehicle in New Jersey on Wednesday night, Toczylowski said.
“It was immediately apparent that she had been there for a while,” Toczylowski said during the news conference.
Based on a preliminary autopsy, Malayshia’s cause of death is blunt force trauma, and the manner of death has been ruled a homicide, Toczylowski said.
“We do have the indication that there were instances of abuse happening, and that items were used to carry out that abuse,” she said.
Williams was denied bail during a court appearance on Friday. She is next due in court on Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing.
She has been appointed a public defender. A spokesperson for the Defender Association of Philadelphia told ABC News on Friday that it does not have any comment on the case at this time.
Krasner did not comment on how Malayshia was placed with Williams, saying, “There certainly will be more information available about that as we move forward.”
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement that the police, district attorney’s office and FBI “will cross every ‘T’ and dot every ‘I’ to uncover all of the facts associated with this heinous and horrific tragedy, and to seek justice for Malayshia.”
The brother of Malayshia’s biological father thanked the community for their support during Thursday’s presser and asked that the public not pass judgment on their family.
“I thank everybody for supporting me and my family during this difficult time,” Nafis Horne said. “Keep us in your prayers because it’s tough right now.”
“Please, please, just support my family with the love that we need. No judgment,” he continued.
