PHILADELPHIA, PA — A Philadelphia woman has been charged in the death of Malayshia Alford, a 10-year-old girl who was reported missing from West Philadelphia and later found dead in a car in New Jersey. Police identified the child’s foster mother, Carprice Williams, 36, as the suspect after investigators traced evidence from the home where Alford was last seen to a vehicle in Lindenwold.
Williams faces charges including murder, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse. She was arraigned early Friday and ordered held without bail. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges on Thursday, Nov. 5, as investigators outlined the steps that led them to the child’s body.
Investigators trace Alford's final known hours to a West Philadelphia home
According to prosecutors, the last known sighting of Alford alive was on Oct. 22 at a home on the 500 block of North Simpson Street in West Philadelphia. After that, she was reported missing, triggering a joint investigation involving Philadelphia police, the FBI and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said investigators believe Alford stayed at the home until she was removed. The timeline later expanded when authorities reviewed surveillance video and determined the girl’s body was taken from the house in the early morning hours of Oct. 26, shortly before 2 a.m. That video, prosecutors said, became a turning point in the case.
Search efforts shifted after a field sweep turned up only an animal body
Police first focused some search activity on a field in West Philadelphia on Wednesday, Nov. 4. That effort did not uncover Alford, and officials said only the body of an animal was found there. Investigators then continued working through video and other leads into the night.
Later that evening, authorities said they identified a vehicle and driver tied to the removal of the child’s body. The FBI and Philadelphia police then spoke with that driver, who led them to Alford’s remains. Her body was found around 11 p.m. Wednesday in the trunk of a car in Lindenwold, New Jersey, shifting the case from a missing-person search to a homicide investigation.
Medical examiner rules death a homicide after blunt force trauma
Alford was taken to the New Jersey Medical Examiner, who determined that she died of blunt force trauma. Her death was ruled a homicide. Prosecutors said it was immediately clear to investigators that her body had been in the vehicle for some time before it was discovered.
Officials did not provide a detailed account of what led to the child’s killing, but they said there was an indication that she had been physically abused. They also did not say whether additional arrests are possible. For now, the case centers on the charges already filed against Williams and the evidence investigators say they collected over several days.
Court records and school district ties add new questions to the case
Before Williams was taken into custody, NBC10 Philadelphia tried to speak with her as she left the North Simpson Street home on Wednesday. She covered her face with a blanket, offered no comment and drove away. On Friday, sources confirmed to NBC10 that Williams worked as a teacher in the Philadelphia School District.
A student told the station that Williams taught at Lewis C. Cassidy School, an elementary school on Lansdowne Avenue. NBC10 said it contacted the district, which declined to comment on staffing matters. The district connection has added another layer of attention to a case already drawing intense scrutiny from residents and officials.
Neighbors, family friends and city officials mourn the child’s death
Residents on North Simpson Street described Alford as a foster child who lived on the block and said investigators had been knocking on doors, reviewing surveillance video and using search dogs near the home. Ameer Barber, an activist with MOTIVATEYOUTH215, said the house looked like a “dungeon” and claimed back doors and a basement door had been drilled shut.
Philadelphia officials also addressed the case publicly. DHS Commissioner Kimberly Ali said Alford was in the custody of the city’s Department of Human Services and receiving foster care services, but confidentiality rules prevented further comment. Alford’s former teacher, Tashonna Moore, remembered her as sweet and kind. Mayor Cherelle Parker held a moment of silence Friday and also posted a statement about the girl’s death on Instagram Thursday.
Community response grows as police offer support near Simpson Street
On Friday, Philadelphia police officers went door to door in the neighborhood near Simpson Street and offered resources to residents. Outside Alford’s home, neighbors left balloons as a small memorial for the child. The scene reflected the shock felt in the block as the investigation moved from a missing-child case to a murder prosecution.
Authorities have not released additional details about the sequence of events inside the home or whether anyone else may face charges. What they have said is that surveillance footage, witness interviews and the recovery of the body in New Jersey were central to the case. For the community, the focus has now turned to mourning a child whose disappearance prompted a multistate search.
