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The foster mother of 10-year-old Malayshia Allford has been charged with murder after police found the girl’s remains in Lindenwold, District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday.
Malayshia had been missing for more than a week before authorities said her body was found in a car overnight at the Stonington Court Apartments in Camden County, New Jersey.
Caprice Williams, 36, is facing multiple felony charges, including murder, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
“I want to be very clear that there will be a just and … vigorous prosecution in this case, that more details will be available as we move forward,” Krasner said in a press conference announcing the charges.
Malayshia had been living under Williams’ care at a West Philadelphia home in the 500 block of North Simpson Street, where police had focused search efforts. Investigators said video evidence showed her body being removed from the home just before 2 a.m. on Oct. 2.
Her body was transported in a separate vehicle from the one she was discovered in. An initial autopsy showed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.
Pastor Alyn Waller, of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, said as the community seeks justice, they are reminded that “there are other Malayshias out there.”
“This is a stark reminder that there’s a whole lot of work for us to do,” Waller said. “We are judged by how the children of our community fare. Does not matter what our economics, what our politics [are]. The question is how are the children? And until we can say the children are fine, we’re not fine.”
In a statement posted to social media, Mayor Cherelle Parker offered her condolences to the Allford’s family, saying authorities “will cross every ‘t and dot every ‘i’ to uncover all of the facts” in the murder case.
“As a mother, this has shaken me to my core,” Parker said in a statement. “I can’t stop thinking about this precious baby and the heartache and turmoil that her immediate village will endure. As a praying Mayor, who wholeheartedly believes in the power of God’s strength. I pray that God will give the family a certain peace that passes all understanding to meet this moment.”
The investigation is ongoing and is being conducted by law enforcement partners, including the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI.
