A Philadelphia woman has been charged with murder after a 10-year-old girl in her care was found dead inside a car in New Jersey, ending a search that lasted more than a week.
Carprice Williams, 36, was charged in the killing of Malayshia Alford, her foster child. The girl's body was discovered in the trunk of a vehicle at a Lindenwold, New Jersey, apartment complex on Nov. 4, according to the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
.Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges Nov. 5 alongside law enforcement officials. Williams faces seven charges: murder, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and recklessly
endangering another person, prosecutors said.
Williams was arraigned and ordered held without bail on Nov. 6, ABC News reported. She is scheduled to return to court Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing.
What happened to Malayshia Alford?
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said during the Nov. 5 news conference that investigators believe Malayshia was last seen alive at her West Philadelphia home on Oct. 22.
Surveillance footage recovered by investigators showed what appeared to be someone removing the girl's body from the home shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 26, Toczylowski said. The person appeared to carry the body in a bag before placing it in a vehicle, she added.
Krasner said the person who removed Malayshia's body was not Williams. He did not identify the individual during the news conference.
USA TODAY reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department for additional information about the investigation, including whether investigators have identified the person who allegedly moved Malayshia's body and whether additional arrests or charges are possible.
According to Toczylowski, investigators used the surveillance footage to identify a vehicle and locate a person associated with it. Information provided by that person helped authorities find a second vehicle in Lindenwold, where Malayshia's body was discovered.
The Gloucester-Camden-Salem Counties Medical Examiner's Office determined that Malayshia died of blunt force trauma and ruled her death a homicide, according to the district attorney's office.
Toczylowski also described evidence of possible abuse involving the child.
"We do have the indication that there were instances of abuse happening, and that items were used to carry out that abuse," she said.
Foster care system under scrutiny
The circumstances surrounding Malayshia's placement with Williams are also drawing scrutiny.
Philadelphia police and the district attorney's office plan to subpoena records from the city's Department of Human Services concerning the girl's foster care placement, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
USA TODAY reached out to the Philadelphia Department of Human Services for comment on Malayshia's placement, the department's oversight of her care and whether any previous complaints or concerns involving Williams had been reported.
City officials have not publicly detailed what oversight or supervision Malayshia received while living in Williams' home.
Marci Hamilton, a University of Pennsylvania professor and expert on child abuse and neglect, told CBS News Philadelphia that the case underscores the need for reforms within the city's Department of Human Services.
Community mourns 10-year-old girl
Malayshia's killing has prompted an outpouring of grief in her Philadelphia community.
Students and teachers at Robert E. Lamberton School, which Malayshia attended, made posters in her memory. Community members also left balloons, candles and other tributes outside the home where she had lived, CBS News Philadelphia reported.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement that police, prosecutors and the FBI would work to uncover the facts surrounding the girl's death and seek justice.
"As a mother, this has shaken me to my core," Parker said in the statement. "I can't stop thinking about this precious baby and the heartache and turmoil that her immediate village will endure."
Nafis Horne, the brother of Malayshia's biological father, thanked the public for supporting his family during the Nov. 5 news conference and asked people to avoid passing judgment as they grieve.
"Keep us in your prayers because it's tough right now," Horne said.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or on X @athompsonUSAT.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Foster mother charged with murder in killing of girl in her care
