Tuesday, July 1, 2025 - A Florida mother has been accused 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.
32-year-old Naikishia L. Williams was charged with
first-degree murd£r after allegedly hitting her daughter, Nia, in April
2025.
The seven-year-old’s cause of de@th was “blunt force trauma”
to her abdomen, according to the indictment issued by a grand jury last
Thursday, June 26.
The autopsy found the girl’s injuries included a lacerated
liver and internal bleeding.
On April 28, Riviera Beach police responded to a report of
an unresponsive child at 8.01pm on 1501 West 15th Street, West Palm
Beach.
Nia was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Centre and later
pronounced de@d.
Last Friday morning, 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 entire
community felt the loss.
“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,” Det. Coleman said.
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.
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