An American woman has been arrested on suspicion of murd£ring her seven-year-old daughter by hitting her in the stomach after other caregivers reportedly raised safety concerns with child protection authorities.
The woman, identified as Naikishia L. Williams, 32, was charged with first-degree murd£r after allegedly hitting her daughter, Nia, in April 2025.
The indictment issued by a grand jury last Thursday, June 26, states that the seven-year-old d!ed from “blunt force trauma” to her abdomen.
During autopsy, it was found that the girl’s liver was lacerated and she also suffered from internal bleeding.
Police record shows that on April 28, the Riviera Beach police responded to a report of an unresponsive child at 8.01 pm on 1501 West 15th Street, West Palm Beach.
The child was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Centre and later pronounced de@d.
On June 27, Williams was arrested following a two-month investigation. She was taken to Palm Beach County Jail.
At Williams’ first hearing that same morning, the judge decided she would be held without bail. Williams was also charged with aggravated child abuse.
Nia’s previous caretaker, Rebecca Finley, described her memories of Nia as “golden” and described her as a “fashionista”.
Whytni Walker was Nia’s godmother and spoke to WPTV alongside Ms Finley.
“We can never get her smile back. We can never talk to her again.”
Riviera Beach Police Chief Michael Coleman said, “The de@th of an innocent child is never normal. It’s hard for us to even fathom. The community has been traumatised. My department has been traumatised.”
Both Ms Finley and Ms Walker are named as witnesses in the Riviera Beach Police Department’s case summary.
First-degree murd£r in Florida requires the prosecution to prove the offence was carried out with “premeditated intent”.
If Williams is convicted, she will face the de@th penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Williams’ next court appearance is scheduled for July 28.
Ms Walker and Ms Finley said William’s three other children were now in the care of other family members.
