Palm Beach County grand jury has indicted 32-year-old Naikishia Williams for capital murder following the harrowing death of her 7-year-old daughter, Nia Williams, who succumbed to blunt force injuries in late April.
The child’s death has reignited urgent calls for reform in Florida’s child protection system, as court records detail a pattern of abuse and multiple missed opportunities to save the young girl.
According to the Riviera Beach Police Department, officers were dispatched to a residence on April 28 after receiving a report of an unresponsive child. Nia was rushed to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where doctors discovered she had a lacerated liver and was in renal failure. She was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The medical examiner later determined that Nia’s cause of death was homicide by blunt force trauma to the abdomen.
The autopsy findings were devastating.
Investigators said Nia’s large intestines had become detached, her liver was lacerated, and nearly half her blood supply had pooled in her abdomen. These injuries, according to the autopsy, were consistent with severe trauma—allegedly inflicted during a violent episode of discipline at the hands of her mother.
Court documents revealed disturbing details provided by Nia’s sibling, who recounted that their mother frequently beat them with a metal pipe, mop, heels, and a belt. In one of the most chilling descriptions, the child told police that Naikishia stomped on Nia’s stomach “like you stomp on an ant” after the child failed to clean up spilled cereal.
When Nia struggled to move afterward, her mother allegedly kicked her again, causing her to collapse into the kitchen cabinets.
Despite throwing up repeatedly in the days following the incident, Nia was forced to complete housework while in visible distress. According to her sibling, she was denied rest and subjected to cold water showers, even as her condition deteriorated.
History of Abuse and Systemic Failures
Records indicate that Nia’s short life was marred by trauma, with multiple hospital visits for injuries that raised concerns of abuse. These included:
- A fractured femur and laceration to her head in April 2021
- A broken arm in September 2021
- Burn injuries from boiling water in 2022
Her advocates, Whytni Walker and Rebecca Finley, who cared for Nia and her siblings for several years, told WPTV that they had reported their concerns to Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF), but little was done.
“She should have been in jail a long time ago,” Finley said in frustration, insisting the state failed to protect the child.
Nia was born in 2017 and initially abandoned at the hospital, placed with a foster family, and later with Finley and Walker, who recalled her as a bright, independent child with a love for cooking and her signature hairstyle—two ponytails.
“She was girly,” Finley said. “She wanted her lip gloss, her purse, and she would always tell her older siblings what to do.”
Walker told police that after Naikishia regained custody of the children following a jail stint, she gradually cut off outside contact. When contact resumed, Walker witnessed signs of abuse, including a moment when Nia was forced to stand in a corner on one foot with her arms stretched out.
Shortly after that incident, the girl suffered a fractured femur and head injury requiring nine staples, according to medical records. Those staples were never removed, requiring Walker to later take her back to the hospital where doctors found them embedded in her scalp.
Court records also note that Nia confided in Walker and a child protection worker that her mother had hit her with a scooter and a belt.
DCF had reportedly removed the children from Naikishia’s care on at least two occasions, only for custody to be returned each time. Advocates say the case exemplifies the deadly consequences of system inaction, particularly when known abuse is not acted upon swiftly.
Legal Action Moving Forward
Naikishia Williams was arrested on June 28 and is currently being held without bond at the Palm Beach County Jail. She faces capital felony charges, and prosecutors may pursue the death penalty given the aggravating factors in the case.
As the legal process unfolds, the story of Nia Williams has become a heartbreaking symbol of institutional failure and has sparked outrage across Florida. Advocacy groups and local residents alike are calling for a thorough investigation into how DCF handled repeated abuse reports and why Nia was allowed to return to a dangerous environment.
In the words of those who tried to protect her, Nia was “always smiling,” “sassy,” and full of life. But behind her smile was a plea for help that went unanswered—until it was far too late.
If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-962-2873.
