HOLBROOK, Ariz. (Scripps News Phoenix) — In the wake of the death of a 10-year-old girl, who was found bruised, malnourished and not breathing on a highway, state officials are investigating potential failures in the case.
Rebekah Baptiste died on July 30 after she was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Anicia Woods and Richard Baptiste are charged in the death of Baptiste’s 10-year-old daughter, Rebekah. (Apache Co. Sheriff’s Office via Scripps News Phoenix)
“Yes, obviously this case is very tragic and had a horrible outcome,” said Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs. “DCS is investigating internally what happened, and if there is anything that we need to do differently, we will implement that.”
Rebekah’s dad, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are in custody and charged with first-degree murder and child abuse.
MORE | Father charged with murdering 10-year-old girl found on Arizona highway
Rebekah’s former school, Empower College Prep, said they notified DCS 12 times in the past year regarding concerns of abuse and neglect in the home. They said administrators were told the case was assigned to an investigator at least four times.
Scripps News Phoenix was also told that a School Resource Officer was involved in a home visit with a school administrator, and the SRO alerted DCS at least once on his own. Still, administrators were told the family was moving out of the area at the end of the school year.
In a statement, DCS said that their records showed they were called five times by Empower College Prep in the last year, but said only one of those times did the report meet the “statutory threshold for abuse and neglect.”
“At no time was our staff ever informed that our reports did not meet the statutory threshold for abuse or neglect,” the school’s executive director, Brian Holman, said. “Rather, we were promised a follow-up that never occurred, even though each of the 12 reports included clear and observable signs of abuse, neglect, and ongoing harm of a young girl and her two younger brothers.”
MORE | Video shows police finding Rebekah Baptiste on highway
Photo of Rebekah Baptiste. (Scripps News Phoenix)
“Something needs to be done,” said Rebekah’s grandma, Sondra Hawkins. “Something has to be done.”
Sondra and her daughter, Sandi Hawkins, Rebekah’s mom, spoke for the first time with Scripps News Phoenix on Wednesday.
The Hawkins family said Baptiste had custody of Rebekah and her two siblings. Sondra and Sandi said they had been visiting the kids until Baptiste and his girlfriend stopped them.
“She loved pink,” said Sondra. “She loved balloons. She loved her brothers. She loved her family.”
The initial police report said Baptiste and Woods told officers Rebekah had been running away. The day she was taken to the hospital, officers were told she had run away and was found by neighbors.
Sondra wants the little girl to be remembered as a hero.
“Yes, it is a tragedy, but no one is talking about how that little girl ran and she ran her heart and soul off to get help,” said Sondra.
