Foster mother charged after child's body found
Jalayshia Alford was last seen in her home on October 22; police say surveillance footage helped locate her vehicle in South Jersey.
By Pedro Tanaka ·
Carprice Williams, the foster mother of a 10-year-old girl from West Philadelphia, has been charged with murder and endangering a child. Assistant District Attorney Ashley Margaret Toczylowski announced the charges during a news conference on Thursday. Williams is also facing other related offenses stemming from the death of Jalayshia Alford.
Alford was last seen alive on Thursday, October 22, at her residence on the 500 block of North Simpson Street. She did not attend school the following Friday or the subsequent Monday. The girl was officially reported missing on the afternoon of October 26. For more than a week, local police, FBI agents, and community members conducted a search for her in the West Philadelphia area.
Law enforcement traced the child's final movements using surveillance video recorded on October 26. The footage showed Alford's body being transported from the home inside a bag. This visual evidence, combined with witness testimony, directed investigators to a vehicle in Lindenwold, New Jersey. On Wednesday night, workers discovered the child's remains in the trunk of that car.
Medical examiners determined that the cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma. Toczylowski stated that the charges reflect the findings from the medical examination and the timeline of events leading to the discovery of the body.
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson addressed the case in a statement released on Thursday. He noted that children represent a critical responsibility for society. Johnson said, “We must do everything in our power to protect them.” He also called for a review of the circumstances surrounding Alford's disappearance and the systems responsible for her care.
