Missing child now believed to be dead; two women arrested
Marian Williams 
Valerie Young
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
Marian Williams was arrested last night after she came to the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASO) on her own accord to speak to detectives about the disappearance of 13-year-old Delia Young.
According to the arrest report, Williams was read her Miranda rights and then “confessed to having knowledge of and being involved in the disappearance of Delia.” Williams, the child’s guardian, said Delia had been at Williams’ residence (507 NW 192nd Ave) on the afternoon of May 16, along with Williams’ sister, Valerie Young. According to Williams, she came out of the restroom and saw that Young was beating Delia with an electrical cord. Williams told Young to stop, and she did.
However, Valerie Young had made a report to ASO at 10:49 a.m. on May 16, before the time period of Williams’ story, saying that Delia had disappeared from Young’s house (3223 NW 142nd Ave) during the nighttime hours. Young said that Delia had a “history of running away and boys picking her up from the home.”
Williams said that later on Sunday evening, she saw Delia walking around her house “in a manner consistent with being injured” and with large welts on her legs, and Williams said she asked the child if she wanted to go to the hospital. Williams said the child refused medical care. Williams said Delia went to her bedroom for the night and “she last saw her on the floor using a computer in her room.”
Williams then reported that on May 17 at around 7 a.m., she went to Delia’s bedroom and found her “unresponsive and deceased in the same position as observed the night before.” Williams said she then contacted Young, who came to her house. She said they made a plan to dispose of Delia’s body and that both believed the death was a result of the beating from the previous day. Williams said they used a pink tote that they already had to take the body to a second home owned by Williams in Lacrosse. Williams further stated that only she and Young have keys to that home.
At the Lacrosse home, the pink tote was placed inside a bedroom. Williams said they locked the house and left, but she later returned, upset, and sat in the room with the body before leaving again.
Williams then told detectives that she returned to Lacrosse on the morning of May 18 and found that the pink tote was outside the house and the body was not there. She then destroyed the pink tote by burning it, “knowing the tote linked both her and her sister to the child’s death.” Williams continues to maintain that she doesn’t know where the body is.
Williams also mentioned that she had confessed to her mother, so detectives spoke to her mother. Williams’ mother said Williams told her that “they beat her unmercifully” and after the beating “they bathed her” due to her injuries.
Williams is in the Alachua County Jail, facing various charges related to negligent manslaughter of a child, child neglect, depriving a crime victim of medical care, and tampering with evidence. Valerie Young was arrested in the past hour and is now in the Alachua County Jail, facing similar charges.