A Philadelphia woman is accused of murdering her foster child, a 10-year-old girl who was found dead in a car trunk in New Jersey after being missing for at least 10 days.
The victim, Malayshia Alford, was last seen alive on Thursday, Oct. 22, Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said at a news conference Thursday. Her dead body is believed to have remained in the home until she was put in the car trunk.
It was apparent, Ms. Toczylowski said, that the girl’s body had been in the trunk “for a while.” The New Jersey Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Malayshia died of blunt force trauma in an act of homicide.
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The girl’s body was previously misidentified by the Philadelphia Police Department as Jalayshia Alford.
Video surveillance footage that police found Wednesday showed what prosecutors believe was Malayshia’s body being removed from the residence she shared with suspect Caprice Williams, 36, at around 1:53 a.m. Monday, Ms. Toczylowski said.
“It was that video that then led law enforcement officials to a suspect vehicle, which then led law enforcement officials to find that vehicle and find a person that they wanted to speak to related to that vehicle,” Ms. Toczylowski said.
Law enforcement found the car with Malayshia’s remains in the trunk in New Jersey on Wednesday night.
Ms. Williams did not report Malayshia missing until Monday. The foster mother told Malayshia’s relatives that the 10-year-old had gone to visit her biological mother, who did not have visitation rights for Malayshia.
Ms. Williams is charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
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