Malayshia Alford vigil grows as foster mother is charged in her death

Talking about the news that no one wanted to hear, we're talking about that 10-year-old, Malaysia Alford. People had been searching for her for quite some time, and now her foster mother is facing some pretty scary charges. We're going to get right out to Jennifer Lee with all the details. Jen, we've talked about this in the newsroom. You know, you were just rooting for this 10-year-old, worried about her, and now we're learning that her life was pretty scary Sherry, the past couple of days. Yes, absolutely. And I think everyone is just mortified to learn that her body was found yesterday in the trunk of a car. That's according to authorities, as well as the Philadelphia district attorney's office. And we're here in West Philadelphia. If you look behind me, the community outpouring of love and support for that 10 year old girl, Malia Alford. And this is where she lived. And you can see there are a whole lot of Pink balloons, flowers, candles, all in memory of her. And, you know, that love and support for her and her family, it has not stopped. We've been seeing people come by since news broke yesterday that, sadly, her body was found. Of course, we learned through authorities that Alford was last believed to be alive Thursday, October 22nd. And that was at this very home in West Philadelphia. Thank you. We also learned through another prosecutor that apparently there was surveillance video that showed on Monday, October 26th, right before two in the morning, what they believe was her body being carried out. And then law enforcement, they were able to locate. Thank you. The foster mom's car, and apparently they interviewed an individual who was connected to it, and that's how they were able to locate the girl's body, and that was in New Jersey around 11 p.m. Wednesday, sadly, and, you know, everyone was searching for her. It was about a 10-day search, and as you said, the foster mom, she is now facing some serious, serious charges. Carprise Williams, she is 36. Facing charges of murder, endangering the welfare of a child. Criminal use of a communication facility, possession of an instrument of crime, recklessly endangering another person, and tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse. We also learned through authorities that the cause of death at this point is blunt force trauma, but they did not detail any more than that. That was from the medical examiner. We did hear from loved ones yesterday as well as community members. Just listen to the heartbreak. I think that the system failed that little girl. She was felt collectively by a lot of people. At 10 years old, when she didn't make it to school, y'all should have been feet to the ground. Calling any and everybody. If the police don't want to listen, then you go looking. There's nothing to hide from, there's nothing to run from when the child is missing. Because that could be any of us. You knew her from camp? Yes, I know her from camp. And then, like... What is y'all reason for killing her? She already went through enough. Why y'all kill her more? Sure, she, like... She's just a little kid. Kids want to live their life. And it's also really sad because she went to school with me. Just so heartbreaking. And, you know, back out here live, you'll just see the outpouring of love from the community for Alfred. Again, she was only 10 years old. Just a little while ago, we actually went to her elementary school, Lamberton Public School, and we know that some of the school administrators, teachers, and her classmates, they're all mourning. And we know that there was a visit from the mayor as well as the superintendent. We did have a chance to also I also speak with the president of the union representing principals and administration. administrators, and they were just telling us how everyone is just utterly devastated. We also heard that she was a very sweet girl and that everyone is just remembering her nice demeanor and just really mourning this loss. You know, I think it's the question many people have in their minds. You know, great that the mayor's there. Great that everyone's there. Where the heck were these people two weeks ago, six months ago? Is there any talk of some type of an investigation? We've said it so many times. This little precious child was failed by so many. Is there any talk about that at this moment? We know certainly there is going to be an investigation. Of course, the foster system here in Philadelphia, it is overseen by the Department of Human Services for the city. We have reached out to them with some of those questions, and we know that they have publicly released a statement at this point. But certainly, we're going to continue pressing about some of those questions about Williams. How is she cleared? Did she have any kind of past where where she was investigated. And how did she end up being the caretaker for Alford? You know, those are all questions that I think everyone who is invested in this has. Jennifer, I know you're out there with a photographer. You guys are working hard in bad conditions, asking difficult questions. We appreciate the work you're doing. I think a lot of people just wish it could have ended better.