PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A medical examiner’s report details what caused a young woman’s death after she was discovered at an Ahwatukee park in late 2024.
Investigators say on Dec. 7, 2024, Margaret Williams was found dead in the baseball fields at Sun Ray Park near 40th Street and Ray Road. A report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Williams died from asphyxia due to strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide.
The report details that the 21-year-old had injuries on her neck and face and bruises along her torso. A toxicology report also revealed that Williams had small amounts of marijuana and alcohol at the time of her death.
In Jan. 2026, over a year after Williams’ death, police arrested her then-boyfriend, Jayden Frost, 20, in connection to the crime. Frost was extradited from Ohio to Arizona and is facing a negligent homicide charge.
20-year-old Jayden Frost made his first court appearance in Phoenix.(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)
Court documents state that the night before Williams’ murder, she and Frost were dropped off at the park by a friend. The two were reportedly drinking when Frost left to go to a nearby Fry’s store. When he returned to the park, he couldn’t find Williams and began calling a friend for help.
The two reportedly searched a nearby gas station and later returned to the park to find Williams unconscious in the middle of the baseball field. The friend began doing CPR on Williams, but she was pronounced dead by responding firefighters.
As detectives combed through the crime scene, they noticed Williams had bruising on her neck, her clothes were disheveled, and she had fluid coming out of her mouth and nose, according to court paperwork.
Frost admitted to investigators that he and Williams had been dating for two months. Court documents state the two were having sex at the baseball fields when Frost choked Williams. However, foam started coming out of Williams’ mouth, leading to her death.
Frost reportedly told police that he “panicked” and threw her cell phone somewhere in the park and threw her earbud case in the trash. He said he thought that “no one would believe his account,” court documents state.
Investigators say after he threw away Williams’ personal items, he walked to a nearby Fry’s store to charge his phone, and then “made up a story” that he couldn’t find Williams to their mutual friend.
Frost’s trial is tentatively set for May 2026.
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