A Florida woman, Naikishia Williams, has been formally charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of her 7-year-old daughter, Nia Williams. The indictment was issued by a grand jury on Thursday, accusing the 32-year-old mother of causing her daughter’s death on April 28 in Riviera Beach. The cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
Williams was arrested on Friday and is currently being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. The indictment comes after months of concern from family members and caregivers who had been looking after Nia. Rebecca Finley and Whytni Walker, who had been involved in Nia’s care, voiced their concerns to local media following Williams’ initial court appearance.
Finley expressed that she and others had been trying to alert authorities about Williams for some time. “She should have been in jail a long time ago,” Finley stated. She further claimed that Williams was responsible for Nia’s death, which she described as a clear case of abuse.
In the weeks leading up to Nia’s death, Finley had contacted Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) due to concerns about Nia’s health, describing the young girl as “very malnourished.” Despite her efforts, Finley expressed frustration that no action was taken to protect Nia from her mother. “There wasn’t one person who was not aware of this young lady being a dangerous mother,” Finley said.
The DCF has yet to respond to inquiries about the case. Meanwhile, Finley and Walker have vowed to continue their fight for justice for Nia. “We can never get her smile back,” Walker lamented. “We can never talk to her again.”
Nia was remembered by Finley as a “fashionista” who loved makeup. More details about the case are expected to be released on Monday. Williams, who has been assigned a public defender, is scheduled to appear in court again on July 28. Williams’ other children are now in the care of other family members.