Foster mother charged after missing 10-year-old Philadelphia girl’s body found in trunk of car in New Jersey

PHILADELPHIA - The foster mother of the 10-year-old Philadelphia girl whose body was found Wednesday night in Lindenwold, New Jersey, has now been charged in the child's murder, authorities announced Thursday. 

What we know:

Caprice Williams, 36, a foster parent of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford, has been charged with Alford's murder, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said. Willianms also faces charges of 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, Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said.

Krashner said earlier reports stated that the child went by the name Jalayshia, which he said was incorrect.

Timeline:

Alford had last been seen coming home from school on Oct. 22 on North Simpson Street in West Philadelphia where she lived with her foster mother, police said. 

Toczylowski told reporters Thursday that law enforcement officials from the FBI and Philadelphia Police Department recovered surveillance video recorded at approximately 1:53 a.m. on Oct. 26.

"There was video that shows what we believe to be her body being moved out of the home," 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."

She said that person faced questioning that ultimately led law enforcement officials to find Alford's body at around 11 p.m. Wednesday in the trunk of a vehicle at an apartment complex in Lindenwold, about 15 miles from her home in West Philadelphia. 

A preliminary postmortem examination at the New Jersey Medical Examiner's Office determined the initial cause of death was blunt force trauma and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.

What they're saying:

"This has been a very, very heavy, emotional day," Krasner said at a Thursday news conference. "I want to be very clear that there will be a just and there will be a vigorous prosecution in this case." 

"There are no words that can make sense out of nonsense," the Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller said. "We are judged by how the children of our community fare. It does not matter what our economics, what our politics; the question is, how are the children? Until we can say the children are fine, we are not fine."

Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson released the following statement: 

"I am heartbroken and outraged by the tragic death of 10-year-old Jalayshia Alford. No child should ever lose their life under such horrific circumstances. Jalayshia deserved to be safe, protected, loved, and given every opportunity to enjoy her childhood. My heart goes out to her family and everyone who loved her. As a father of two young children, I find this tragedy especially hard to bear. Our children are among our most precious responsibilities, and we must do everything in our power to protect them. We must also take a hard look at the circumstances surrounding Jalayshia’s disappearance and the systems entrusted with her care. I urge Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to prosecute the killer of Jalayshia Alford to the fullest extent of the law. Those responsible for Jalayshia’s death must be held accountable."

The backstory:

Alford did not attend school on Oct. 23, investigators said. She was reported missing the following Monday, on Oct. 26. Since then, police and the FBI scoured parts of the city searching for Alford, and had recently expanded their search to an area of Cobbs Creek near where she lived.

Family and friends joined in the search, posting flyers in Philadelphia and nearby parts of Delaware County. 

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