HERNANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Ted Williams' youngest daughter expressed anguish Sunday over the legal wrangling over her father's remains.

Speaking publicly for the first time since the baseball great's death July 5, Claudia Williams said some media accounts have been ''terribly hurtful, and simply not true.''

''Our family's actions in the days since my father's passing have been motivated by our abiding love and devotion for our father and our grief and anguish at his passing,'' she said in a statement.

''Please respect our family's privacy and the difficult decisions we must make during this time as we do our best to honor my father's wishes.''

John Henry Williams has sent his father's body to an Arizona lab to be frozen, a move that set off a fight with his half sister over what to do with the remains of the last man to hit .400.

Bobby-Jo Williams Ferrell, 54, says her father wanted to be cremated and have his ashes scattered over the Florida Keys. She says her 33-year-old half brother intends to somehow make a profit by freezing their father. A death certificate confirms that Williams' body was moved out of state.

''We appreciate the tone of the written statement issued on behalf of Claudia Williams, but we are still waiting for Ted Williams' last wishes to be carried out,'' said John Heer, an attorney for Ferrell.

Claudia Williams, 30, did not indicate where she stood on the issue.

John Henry Williams did not return calls seeking comment.

John Henry once sued Claudia Williams for selling autographed bats Ted Williams had given her.

Attorneys for Ted Williams' estate will ask a Florida court to decide the matter when they file the will, as early as Monday.

''We are very appreciative of the outpouring of love, sympathy and support that Dad's many fans and friends have expressed over the last week,'' Claudia Williams said.

''That he meant so much to so many of you has been a source of solace in our time of grief. He touched so many lives as a baseball player and sportsman, as someone who proudly served his country, and as someone who worked to help sick children. That is how people should remember him.''