Philadelphia foster mom charged with Malayshia Alford's murder had prior abuse allegations: Attorney
Foster mother charged in Malayshia Alford murder was deemed unfit, attorney says
New details have emerged following murder charges filed against 36-year-old Philadelphia public school teacher Caprice Williams in the death of her 10-year-old foster daughter, Malayshia Alford, whose body was discovered inside a car trunk in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Attorney Nadeem Bezar of Kline & Specter, representing Alford’s estate, revealed that Williams was previously deemed unfit for foster care following a 2021 child abuse case involving a severely malnourished 4-year-old, which led to a legal settlement with a placement agency.
PHILADELPHIA - The foster mother charged with killing 10-year-old Malayshia Alford was previously declared unfit for foster care after allegedly abusing another foster child years ago, an attorney familiar with the case tells FOX 29.
What they're saying:
Caprice Williams, 36, was charged this week with Alford's murder, after police found the 10-year-old's body in the trunk of a car in New Jersey.
Nadeem Bezar represents Alford's estate, and told FOX 29 that his team had already been investigating allegations of abuse at Alford's previous foster home when they learned that she was missing. Bezar said he recognized Williams' name because he says a 4-year-old girl was removed from Williams' home after she was abused in 2021.
According to Bezar, the girl received "bruises and beatings," and suffered from "severe malnutrition." He recently settled a case against the contracted agency that handled the 4-year-old girl's placement with Williams.
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Philadelphia foster mother charged in murder of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford: DA
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner and officials announced murder charges against foster parent, Carprice Williams, in the killing of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford.
Dig deeper:
Following that case, Bezar said, Williams was deemed unfit for foster care, but somehow Alford was still placed in her care.
Alford was placed under Williams' care after she was abused at another foster home.
"We think we're taking them out of one bad situation and putting them in a better situation," Bezar said. But instead, "they took her from an abusive situation, and they put her into a deadly one. That is unacceptable."
The search for Malayshia Alford
The backstory:
Alford was last seen in West Philadelphia on Thursday, Oct. 22, returning home from school. She did not go to school the next day, and was reported missing the following Monday, Oct. 22.
Then this week, police found Alford's body in the trunk of a car at an apartment complex in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Officials said that surveillance appeared to show Alford's body being moved from the home on the night she was last seen, and that a witness helped direct law enforcement to the car where Alford's body was found.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Body of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford found in trunk of vehicle in Lindenwold, foster mother charged
What we don't know:
It's unclear how Alford came to be in Williams' care. The City of Philadelphia's Department of Human Services has outsourced foster care programs.
Officials did not identify the person who helped police locate Alford's body.
The Source: Information in this story is from an interview with attorney Nadeem Bezar, a press conference held by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, the Philadelphia Police Department, law enforcement sources speaking to FOX 29's Kelly Rule, and previous FOX 29 reports.