10-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in Trunk After Vanishing From Foster Home

A ten-year-old girl, Jalayshia “Malayshia” Allford, died in a car trunk parked at the Stonington Court Apartments in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Her body surfaced more than a week after she vanished from her foster home in West Philadelphia. The apartment complex sits roughly 20 miles from where she lived.

The timeline of her disappearance is murky. Allford was last seen at her home on October 26. Yet, the biological father’s account and the foster mother’s report tell conflicting stories. The woman claimed she filed a missing person report when Allford failed to return from school that day. She then called Yolanda Brown, the girl’s aunt, alleging that Allford’s biological mother had taken the child. Authorities contacted the mother, but the child was not with her.

Police quickly flagged the situation as high-risk. ABC 6 reported that investigators determined the child “may be at special risk of harm or injury” once they learned the mother did not have her. The foster mother’s story fell apart under scrutiny. Brown alleged that the girl actually went missing on a Friday, not October 26, because school records showed Allford did not attend class that day or the following Monday. The aunt claimed the foster mother waited four days before reporting the child missing. Authorities noted inconsistencies in the foster mother’s statement and timeline, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore reviewed surveillance footage that captured Allford returning from school on October 22. She never appeared on that block again. Initial search efforts by Philadelphia police, FBI agents, and community members focused on a field near the house. They combed the forest but found only an animal carcass.

The tragedy broke on Thursday when police located Allford’s body inside a vehicle at the apartment complex in Lindenwold. The cause of death remains undisclosed. Police arrested a suspect, though they have not released the individual’s name. The suspect faces charges for the girl’s “brutal murder,” with details expected to be announced at a 5:30 pm press conference today.

Nazir Allford, Jalayshia’s biological father, told ABC 6 that he is struggling to cope with his daughter’s disappearance. “All I'm concerned with is my child. I'm not concerned about nothing else,” he said. Court records show Nazir previously pleaded guilty to charges related to interference with child custody. He had been fighting for custody after Jalayshia entered the foster system a few years ago.

Despite the legal history, family members stand by him. Nafis Horne, Jalayshia’s uncle, insisted that Nazir only wanted the best for his daughter. “He loved his daughter. His daughter loved him. We're vouching for that as a family because we know that,” Horne said.