Inset, left to right: Jayden M. Frost (MCSO) and Maggie Williams (KPNX). Background: The baseball field in Arizona where Williams’s body was found in December 2024 (KPNX).
A young man from Arizona, aged 20, stands accused of murdering his 21-year-old girlfriend. The incident reportedly occurred during what he described as “rough sex” in a public park, which led to her being strangled. In a state of panic, he allegedly tried to obliterate any evidence before fleeing the scene.
Jayden Matthew Frost has been charged with negligent homicide concerning the demise of Margaret “Maggie” Williams. Her body was found in December 2024 on the baseball fields near the intersection of 40th Street and Ray Road.
As per an initial announcement from the Phoenix Police Department, officers arrived on December 7, 2024, to investigate after Williams was discovered unresponsive. At first, first responders noted no overt signs of trauma, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently took charge of the body.
The investigation was reclassified as a homicide after the medical examiner concluded that Williams succumbed to asphyxia caused by strangulation.
Further insights into the events leading to Williams’s death and Frost’s subsequent arrest are detailed in court documents reviewed by Law&Crime.
Investigators said Williams and Frost — who had been dating for about two months — were dropped off at the park the night before her body was found. The two had been drinking alcohol and using marijuana, police said.
Frost claimed he left the park about 11 p.m. to charge his phone at a grocery store while Williams stayed behind because she was “having a good time.” When he returned about an hour later, Frost said Williams was gone and her phone had died at 11:16 p.m., per the affidavit.
Frost called a friend who helped him look for Williams and the two eventually found her in the middle of the baseball field surrounded by coyotes, which had eaten her toes. She was “cold to the touch and her neck was stiff,” Jayden told police.
“[Williams] had bruising/ abrasions to her neck, her pants were slightly pulled down near her buttocks, she had no shoes on, had one sock on her left foot and had bodily fluid coming from her mouth and nose,” a probable cause affidavit said.
Emergency responders pronounced Williams dead at the scene, where investigators noted injuries to her neck and face, as well as other signs consistent with strangulation.
A subsequent autopsy conducted by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Williams’s cause of death was asphyxia due to strangulation and her manner of death was determined to be homicide.
Police said Frost’s claim about not knowing where Williams was on the night of her death quickly fell apart and he soon confessed to killing her. However, he has maintained her death was an accident.
Frost confessed to investigators that the pair engaged in “rough sexual activity” at the baseball fields, during which he choked Williams. He claimed the act was consensual, but told police he soon realized she was showing signs of distress.
Authorities say Frost did not call 911. Instead, he told police he “panicked,” discarded evidence, and then “made up a story” about not knowing where Williams was because the truth did not seem believable.
“[Frost] opened his eyes and saw that foam was coming out of [Williams’] mouth, [Frost] realized [she] was deceased and became scared,” the affidavit said. “[Frost] and [Williams’] cell phones were dead, so he could not call the Police for assistance. [Frost] panicked and threw [Williams’] cell phone somewhere in the park, thinking no one would believe his account. [Frost] collected [Williams’] earbud case and threw it away in a trash can. [Frost] walked to a nearby grocery store to charge his cell phone.”
Prosecutors charged Frost with negligent homicide, determining that while he caused Williams’ death, they did not believe there was sufficient evidence to prove intent to kill under Arizona law, KNXV reported.
“County Attorney Mitchell extends her heartfelt condolences to the family of the victim in this case,” the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a statement to the station. “We want the public to understand that charging decisions are not a measure of the value of a victim’s life but are instead based on evidence available and the legal standards we are required to meet to bring charges forward.”
But the decision has drawn criticism from Williams’ family members, who have publicly called for Frost to be brought up on more serious charges.
“This is the place where our daughter was strangled, left to die, and where animals were eating her body for hours,” Mike Williams, her father, told KPNX. “With all the evidence, the intent, and the history, we don’t understand why this isn’t being charged as murder or at least manslaughter.”
The parents also emphasized Frost’s alleged history of violence against women. Frost is reportedly accused of assaulting another woman in Yavapai County, Arizona, shortly before he started dating Williams.
Frost’s trial is currently scheduled to begin on May 13, records show.
