A Philadelphia foster parent has been charged with the murder of a 10-year-old girl in her care, who was discovered dead in a vehicle in New Jersey after an extensive search. The child, Malayshia Alford, was initially reported missing.

Carprice Williams, 36, faces multiple charges including murder, endangering the welfare of a child, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence, and abuse of a corpse, according to police. Williams was Malayshia’s foster parent, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner confirmed.

Malayshia was last seen alive on October 22 at her Philadelphia home. Investigators believe her body was removed from the residence in a bag and placed into a vehicle around 2 a.m. on October 26, based on recovered video surveillance footage. District Attorney Krasner stated that the individual seen removing the body was not Williams.

The video surveillance aided law enforcement in identifying a suspect vehicle. A witness connected to this vehicle then assisted investigators in locating Malayshia. Her body was found in the trunk of a different vehicle in New Jersey on Wednesday night. It was evident that the body had been there for some time, according to Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski.

A preliminary autopsy determined that Malayshia's cause of death was blunt force trauma, and the manner of death has been ruled a homicide. "We do have the indication that there were instances of abuse happening, and that items were used to carry out that abuse," Toczylowski stated.

Williams was denied bail during a court appearance on Friday and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on November 23. She has been appointed a public defender, who declined to comment on the case at this time.

District Attorney Krasner did not provide details on how Malayshia was placed with Williams, indicating more information would become available. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker issued a statement, assuring that authorities would thoroughly investigate the tragedy and seek justice for Malayshia.

The brother of Malayshia's biological father expressed gratitude for community support and urged against premature judgment on the family.