Philadelphia foster parent charged with murder of 10-year-old girl found in car trunk in New Jersey

A foster parent in Philadelphia in the United States has been charged with the murder of a 10-year-old girl in her care. Officials said the girl, who was first reported missing, was found dead after a search lasting several days. District Attorney Larry Krasner described the case as a horrific situation.

The girl was Malayshia Alford. The accused woman is Carprice Williams, 36. According to police, Williams was Malayshia's foster parent. District Attorney Larry Krasner announced the charges at a news conference on Thursday.

Williams faces several charges in addition to murder. Police said they include endangering the welfare of a child, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Ashley Toczylowski said Malayshia was last seen alive on Oct. 22 at her home in Philadelphia. Officials said she had not been found after that.

Investigators believe that shortly before 2 a.m. on Oct. 26, an individual removed her body from the home in some type of bag and into a vehicle. Toczylowski said the information came from surveillance video recovered this week. According to the district attorney, that individual was not Williams.

Investigators said the video helped identify a suspect vehicle. A witness associated with the vehicle helped lead investigators to Malayshia. Toczylowski said the girl's body was found on Wednesday night in the trunk of another vehicle in New Jersey.

On the condition in which the body was found, Toczylowski said at the news conference that it was immediately apparent she had been there for a while. She made the comment at Thursday's news conference.

Based on a preliminary autopsy, Malayshia's cause of death was blunt force trauma and the manner of death has been ruled a homicide, Toczylowski said. She also said there were indications that instances of abuse had happened and that items were used to carry out that abuse.

Williams was denied bail during a court appearance on Friday. She is next due in court on Nov. 23 for a preliminary hearing. She has been appointed a public defender. A spokesperson for the Defender Association of Philadelphia told ABC News on Friday that it does not have any comment on the case at this time.

Krasner did not comment on how Malayshia was placed with Williams. He said there certainly will be more information available about that as the case moves forward.

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement that the police, 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, and to seek justice for Malayshia.

At Thursday's press conference, Nafis Horne, the brother of Malayshia's biological father, thanked the community for their support. He said the family should be kept in prayers during this difficult time and asked the public not to pass judgment on the family.