District Attorney Larry Krasner said Thursday that his office’s investigation into the death of 10-year-old Malayshia Alford will incorporate a broader look at the system tasked with caring for children removed from their families.
The probe could lead to additional charges or uncover information that does not rise to the level of criminality but results in the firing or disciplining of child welfare workers, he said.
“You can barely walk down a street in Philly without hearing people talking about the tragic death of Malayshia Alford and what is to be done about it and what can be learned about it,” Krasner remarked during a news conference.
Carprice Williams, 36, Malayshia’s foster parent and a city public school teacher, was charged with murder after the girl’s body was found Nov. 4 in the trunk of a car parked in Camden County, New Jersey. Her death was ruled a homicide, caused by blunt force trauma, law enforcement officials have said.
Malayshia’s killing, along with reports of previous allegations of child abuse against Williams, has raised questions about the Philadelphia Department of Human Services and state oversight of the foster care system.
Probes have been piling up. On the same day that Krasner announced his expanded investigation, City Council authorized hearings in response to the case.
Council members Anthony Phillips and Kendra Brooks, in a joint statement, noted that Malayshia’s murder comes 20 years after Danieal Kelly, a 14-year-old girl with disabilities, starved to death while receiving in-home DHS services.
“We cannot allow another twenty years of systemic failure to endanger more of our precious children,” the pair stated.
An initial hearing, before Council’s Committee on Children and Youth, is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, at City Hall.
Mayor Cherelle Parker, on Tuesday, signed an executive order to form a committee to investigate how DHS coordinates with foster care providers and Community Umbrella Agencies, which provide case management services to children in placement. Counties in Pennsylvania are also required to analyze deaths linked to possible child abuse or neglect, in what is referred to as an Act 33 review.
Krasner told reporters he believes all of the probes can complement each other. The DA’s Office is independent and has special law enforcement tools, he added, including the ability to convene a grand jury. He said he will personally oversee the investigation into Malayshia’s killing.
Prosecutors, he continued, will be examining representation for children in dependency court; whether there should be a regular review of child abuse cases involving police, the DA’s Office and advocacy groups; barriers to kinship care, an alternative to foster care; and the appeal process for someone added to a list of child abusers.
“This is not the stuff that people find that exciting to talk about,” Krasner said. “It's kind of bureaucratic. It's kind of administrative. But sometimes it can be the solution.”
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