Carprice Williams

Introduction

Carprice Williams, a 36-year-old West Philadelphia teacher, is charged with the murder of her 10-year-old foster daughter Malayshia Alford, whose body was found late Wednesday night about 20 miles from the Philadelphia home where the girl was last seen alive on October 22 — across state lines in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Police say surveillance footage captured what investigators believe was Malayshia’s body being moved from the home into a vehicle around 2 a.m. on October 26, the day she was reported missing, and that the driver of that vehicle led them to the body. An autopsy determined the child’s death was a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.

Background Information

Williams was Malayshia’s foster mother, and by the accounts of neighbors and community figures the household had long raised concern. Ameer Barber, an activist with the Philly-based organization MOTIVATEYOUTH215, described the home as a “dungeon” after seeing pictures and videos: “The backdoor was drilled shut, the basement door was drilled shut,” Barber told NBC Philadelphia. “Upstairs, it looked like there was a lot of foul play, I don’t know how the cops didn’t catch it. It didn’t look right.” Malayshia was a student at Robert E. Lamberton School, and — in the detail that turned the case into a neighborhood betrayal — the mother of one of her classmates said Williams was that child’s teacher. Williams had no criminal record, according to Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged; presumption of innocence. Williams faces seven counts including murder; she has been arraigned and held without bail, and the charges are unadjudicated.

According to the charging announcement, Williams initially reported that Malayshia did not return home from school and was not answering her phone, but investigators said there were conflicting accounts from adults connected to the case, per WPVI. Surveillance footage then showed what investigators believe was the child’s body being carried from the home into a vehicle around 2 a.m. on October 26 — the same day she was reported missing. Investigators spoke with the driver, who led them to Malayshia’s body in Lindenwold, New Jersey, roughly 20 miles away. “It was immediately apparent that she had been there for a while,” Assistant District Attorney Ashley Teslowski told reporters.

The autopsy, conducted by the local medical examiner’s office, ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma. Officials said they could not go into detail about what led to the killing, but revealed the abuse allegations: “We do have an indication that there were instances of abuse happening, and that items were used to carry out that abuse,” a prosecutor said at the press conference. Williams was charged with murder, endangering the welfare of a child, criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and abuse of corpse. She was arraigned on Thursday, November 5, where a judge ordered her held without bail; she is due back in court on November 23.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The case landed on a neighborhood already holding vigils for the girl. A friend named Zayla stopped by one the night before the charges were announced: “She was nice to everybody. She was friends with everybody. And the last time I saw her, I gave her a hug,” she told WPVI. Zayla’s mother, Ryenise Hodges, said Williams had been her daughter’s teacher: “Just letting her know everything is going to be OK. She don’t really understand that was her teacher. And she just keeps asking a lot of questions. I don’t even have the answers.” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement, “As a mother, this has shaken me to my core,” and pledged that the Police Department, the District Attorney’s Office and the FBI “will cross every ‘T’ and dot every ‘I’ to uncover all of the facts associated with this heinous and horrific tragedy.” Krasner said his office had contacted the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, the agency responsible for foster placements, and hoped to be “speaking to them further about this.” Officials did not say whether anyone else will be charged.

Current Status

As of November 6, 2026, Williams is in custody without bail facing a murder charge and six related counts; the allegations are unadjudicated and she is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Her next court appearance is set for November 23. The investigation continues on multiple fronts: the Florida-and-Georgia-style expansion has not happened here, but officials have not ruled out additional charges, the Department of Human Services is being drawn into the review, and the driver who led police to the body has not been charged.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Williams was, by the account of a classmate’s mother, a teacher in the same West Philadelphia community where her foster daughter lived — a position of standing over children that the charges now invert. The Department of Human Services contact from the DA’s office signals scrutiny of the foster system that placed Malayshia in the home, and the “dungeon” description of a house with drilled-shut doors is the image the case will carry. Whatever the trial’s outcome, the professional and personal consequences already exceed the criminal exposure: a teaching career in the same neighborhood, custody without bail, and a community that watched her search for the girl investigators say she killed.

Sources

• New York Post, “Girl, 10, abused in ‘dungeon’ as step mom charged with her murder: cops,” November 6, 2026. source