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The death of 10-year-old Malayshia Allford has sparked outrage among Philadelphia officials, prompting investigations into the city’s Department of Human Services and questions about how the tragedy happened and how similar incidents can be prevented.
“There will be action taken, and this will never ever happen again. That whole department will face the wrath,” Councilmember Anthony Phillips said during opening statements of Thursday’s weekly City Council meeting.
Phillips was just one of those who pushed for major action against the city’s DHS after Allford died in the custody of her foster mother, 36-year-old Carrprice Williams.
“We cannot bring Malaysia back, unfortunately,” he said. “But we can demand the truth, identify when the safeguards fail and hold the responsible people and systems accountable.”
Allford’s body was found in the trunk of a car in Lindenwold, New Jersey, on Nov. 4. The 10-year-old had been living with Williams in her West Philadelphia home for about two years.
The case has raised further questions about the city’s foster care system. Williams, a Philadelphia school teacher, had previously been accused of abusing another foster child in 2021.
Councilmember Cindy Bass said the problem stems from DHS outsourcing much of its work to Community Umbrella Agencies, or CUAs. She called the change a disaster.
“In 2023, DHS lost about 40% of the caseloads that were being held by one of the providers that could no longer get insurance,” Bass said. “That’s how bad they were. They could no longer be insured. So they had to drop out of being a CUA.”
