Ten-year-old Malayshia Alford was supposed to be safe in the home where she was being raised. Instead, her disappearance ended in tragedy after investigators found her body inside the trunk of a car in New Jersey. Now, the woman entrusted with her care, 36-year-old Caprice Williams, is facing a murder charge.
Williams, a West Philadelphia resident who worked as an educator for the Philadelphia School District, was arrested and charged on Thursday, November 5. Prosecutors say she is responsible for the death of Alford, who had been missing for more than a week. The case has raised serious questions about what happened inside the home where the little girl had been living and how her disappearance went unreported for several days.
Alford lived with Williams at a home on the 500 block of North Simpson Street in West Philadelphia. Her family knew her as May, and she was also identified in reports as Jalayshia. Investigators believe she was last seen alive on October 22. However, her disappearance was not reported to police until October 26.
The investigation took a troubling turn when detectives reviewed surveillance footage from the early hours of October 26. According to investigators, the recording showed what appeared to be a body being removed from the North Simpson Street property shortly before 2 a.m. That footage helped authorities identify a vehicle and locate a person who provided information that eventually led them to the missing child’s remains.
Around 11 p.m. on November 4, officers located Alford’s body inside the trunk of a Lincoln sedan parked near the Stonington Court Apartments on Laurel Road in Lindenwold, Camden County, New Jersey. The discovery brought an end to a search that had involved Philadelphia police, FBI agents and investigators from New Jersey.
A preliminary examination by the New Jersey medical examiner determined that Alford died from blunt force trauma. Her death was classified as a homicide. Prosecutors also disclosed that investigators found indications of ongoing physical abuse and evidence suggesting that objects had been used to inflict injuries on the child. Officials have not provided further details about the alleged abuse or the circumstances surrounding her fatal injuries.
Williams faces seven charges, including murder, abuse of a corpse, endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime and tampering with evidence. The charges were announced by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Thursday.
The investigation has also drawn attention to the fact that Williams worked for the Philadelphia School District. Payroll records identified her as a district employee. However, authorities have not publicly explained which agency arranged Alford’s foster placement or what oversight was in place while the child lived with Williams.
Investigators have also questioned at least one other person believed to have information about the disposal of Alford’s remains. Officials have not announced additional charges or publicly identified that individual. They have also not fully explained how the vehicle became connected to the case, although investigators said information obtained during the investigation helped them locate the body.
For Alford’s family, the discovery has left painful questions about the final days of a little girl who had been missing while people searched for answers. Her death has also prompted concerns about the circumstances surrounding her foster care placement and whether warning signs were missed.
Williams is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The investigation remains focused on establishing exactly what happened to Alford and whether anyone else played a role in the events surrounding her death.