7-Year-Old Found Dead In California Home, Father Arrested On Suspicion Of Torture

A father from Stockton, California, was arrested and is facing charges of homicide and assault on a child after his 7-year-old daughter was found dead in their home early Saturday.

The Stockton Police Department officers, while conducting a welfare check, responded to a home in 1300 block of Candlewood Way around 4.45 a.m. on Saturday.

The responding officers located Billie Williams lying unresponsive in the garage and the little girl was pronounced dead at the scene.

The family members were shocked when they heard of tragic death. A family member who didn’t wish to be identified told local media, “We’ve been crying all morning, It’s very heartbreaking.”

The family recalled that Billie was an ever-smiling little girl. “When she was around us, she was happy,” they said.

“My niece was a very good little girl. Very quiet,” said a family member. “She just did what any other kid did. Play in the dirt, whatever. She didn’t deserve any of that that happened to her.

The child’s father, 30-year-old Billy Williams, was taken into custody on suspicion of torture and assault on a child resulting in death.

"It’s just very disheartening,” officer Joe Silva with Stockton Police said, responding to local media. “Everyone’s wondering how could this father do this to his small daughter?”

“Officers took the father into custody and he was booked and processed into the San Joaquin County Jail,” said Silva.

The investigators also questioned the family members.

“People in the home including the stepmother who lived there, and the 7-year-old’s biological mother, they have been talked to by investigators,” said Silva.

The motive behind the incident is still unknown, and the investigation is ongoing with no further details available at the moment.

“I’m not trying to make my brother out to be an angel or anything like that,” a family member said. “But from what I know of my brother he’s a very sweet person.”