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The foster mother at the center of the investigation into 10-year-old Malayshia Alford’s death is now facing a murder charge, but prosecutors have not yet presented a conviction or a complete account of what happened inside the Philadelphia home.
Carprice Williams, 36, was charged with murder and several other offenses after investigators found Malayshia’s body in the trunk of a car in Lindenwold, New Jersey. The charges were announced Nov. 5, nearly two weeks after the girl was reported missing.
Williams is accused of playing a role in the circumstances surrounding Malayshia’s death. Prosecutors say the girl suffered blunt force trauma, and a preliminary autopsy classified her death as a homicide.
Williams has denied guilt through the legal process by entering a case in which the allegations remain unproven. She was denied bail at an arraignment Friday and is scheduled to return to court Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing. According to the district attorney, she had no previous criminal record.
What prosecutors say happened
Investigators say Malayshia was last seen alive at her home on Oct. 22, although some reports have given a different date. She was reported missing Oct. 26.
Surveillance footage from the early morning of Oct. 26 appears to show someone carrying what investigators believe was a body from the home in a bag. Prosecutors say Williams was not the person captured in that footage.
The video nevertheless helped investigators identify a vehicle and locate a witness. That information eventually led police and the FBI to the girl’s body Wednesday night.
The criminal complaint also contains allegations of abuse. Witnesses reportedly told investigators that Williams threw Malayshia down stairs, withheld food and water and made her wear a weighted vest while walking stairs.
Prosecutors further allege that Williams attempted to make the girl appear alive after her death by using Malayshia’s phone to send messages.
Why the foster history is under scrutiny
The case has also raised questions about how Malayshia came to be placed in Williams’ care.
Attorney Nadeem Bezar, who previously represented another child in a lawsuit involving Williams, says a 2021 incident involving a 4-year-old in her care was serious enough that state officials recommended she not foster again.
Bezar has also claimed Malayshia had been abused in an earlier foster placement before she entered Williams’ home last year.
Those claims come from litigation and have not been established as facts in Williams’ criminal case. The agencies mentioned in connection with the placement have not responded to the allegations.
Questions remain about the placement
Philadelphia’s human services department said Malayshia was in the city’s custody and received services through Pennsylvania Mentor and Catholic Community Services. Other agencies have also been identified in reports about her care.
Officials have not fully explained why Malayshia was placed in Williams’ home or what information authorities had about her previous foster placement.
Williams also worked as a Philadelphia school district teacher. Two former parents told WPVI that their children had negative experiences with her. The school district declined to discuss personnel matters.
For now, the murder charge establishes an allegation, not a final finding of guilt. Investigators have identified Malayshia’s death as a homicide, but key questions remain about who carried her from the home, the role of the witness and the full chain of events that led to her death.
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