AZ - Rebekah Baptiste, 10, killed by father and girlfriend - Holbrook, 27 July 2025

[vls12345]

Girl tried to escape before she was allegedly killed by her father and his girlfriend, records say

Records show that Rebekah Baptiste, 10, tried to run away several times before she was found unresponsive and later died.

www.11alive.com

Newly obtained police records reveal new details about the final weeks of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste’s life, including repeated attempts to run away and alleged prolonged abuse at the hands of her father and his girlfriend.

According to investigators, Woods initially told police that Rebekah was discovered unresponsive by a neighbor after she ran away from their rural Concho, Arizona, campsite. The family had been living in a yurt with no running water or electricity since early July, after moving from Phoenix, records said.

Records show that this was not the child’s first escape attempt. Woods told police Rebekah had previously jumped from a window in Phoenix to flee. In Concho, she allegedly tried to escape three more times, with the final attempt the day she was taken to the hospital, according to the records.

In addition to the abuse, no running water or electricity since early July?

 

[Gemmie]

Girl tried to escape before she was allegedly killed by her father and his girlfriend, records say

Records show that Rebekah Baptiste, 10, tried to run away several times before she was found unresponsive and later died.

www.11alive.com

In addition to the abuse, no running water or electricity since early July?

Can someone explain to me HOW IN THE WORLD they system failed her with all the attempts the school did, her running away, etc. Seriously! She was afraid to go home! Why don't they pull a child like her out from the home? I guess parents (and the adults) have more rights than the victims??

 

[agilbe]

Can someone explain to me HOW IN THE WORLD they system failed her with all the attempts the school did, her running away, etc. Seriously! She was afraid to go home! Why don't they pull a child like her out from the home? I guess parents (and the adults) have more rights than the victims??

The million dollar question.

 

[Dotta]

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[tlcya]

from the DM link above

this illustrates a yurt but I do not think it is meant to suggest this is THE yurt the family inhabited

 

[Inthedetails]

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Wow. How to instantly dislike someone within seconds. Even if I didn't know the outcome of this case, I would find that caller very cold.

What I've noticed in 911 calls is when someone is guilty, they often start the call with an unnecessary explanation, "I just got home. I was late because I work long hours. I found my wife on the floor." If someone isn't guilty, they start with "Help! Come quick!" That my unscientific observation.

In this case, the stepmom begins with telling the operator that the child has been running away. Who cares at that moment?!?!

And, she seems annoyed. imo

jmopinion

 

[Gemmie]

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What at what I read from your link:

'We got word of sexual abuse about a year and a half ago, and they [DCS] turned a blind eye to it.'

smh

 

[ChatteringBirds]

In this case, the stepmom begins with telling the operator that the child has been running away. Who cares at that moment?!?!

And, she seems annoyed.

She tried so hard to escape. No one was helping her.

 

[georgiajean]

Video of the celebration of life for Rebekah.

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[georgiajean]

In this video, reporter is at scene of the yurt-like home the family lived in for a month before Rebekah was killed. The voice-over indicates that Richard Baptiste inherited the property. It is useful to watch the video and read the text, because there is different information in each.
Rebekah Baptiste: Girl spent last month of her life in remote part of Arizona

 

[tlcya]

Court records also indicate this was not the first time Rebekah needed care for these types of injuries, with prosecutors revealing 140 pages of hospital records have been handed over in this case.
Rebekah Baptiste: Girl spent last month of her life in remote part of Arizona

 

[Lucy6226]

Court records also indicate this was not the first time Rebekah needed care for these types of injuries, with prosecutors revealing 140 pages of hospital records have been handed over in this case.
Rebekah Baptiste: Girl spent last month of her life in remote part of Arizona

You can almost understand cases getting missed when the abuse is well hidden. But this poor girl was failed so badly, everything screams get her out of that house now. She was failed by every adult around her it seems

 

[TMich6811]

I’m interested in knowing if they went above cps

While unfortunately most states do mandate cps investigations and not legal for family abuse - after a couple of calls with obvious abuse you always go above cps. Every state has a call above them. Local representatives will get involved in cases like this too.

Just seeing this case and ugh

my number one question is why didn’t the neighbors call 911?!?

 

[Tricia]

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[tlcya]

The funeral will be held on Monday, August 18 at 10:00 am at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church off Bell Road with a graveside service at Holy Cross Cemetery in Avondale.
Family announces funeral for Rebekah Baptiste will be Monday

The rosary will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Parish, 17111 W. Bell Road in Surprise, with the funeral Mass to follow at 10:30 a.m.

Afterward, a graveside service will be at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, 9925 W. Thomas Road in Avondale.

"All are welcome to honor Rebekah's memory,"
Public invited to honor Rebekah Baptiste's life at funeral services

I'm not being critical of this, I think it is good for Rebekah's loved ones to allow the public to be there and support them in honoring Rebekah. But it always makes me so sad, the irony of it.

This bright sunny little girl, whose plight was unseen by those who could have ended it before it was too late, now so very visible in death when in life she was quite literally invisible to those she needed to see her most.

 

[kid_a]

Damon Hawkins, the girl's uncle, said she had two black eyes and was 'black and blue from her head to toe.'

'She spent the last four days in the hospital by herself and the only thing DCS can say is, 'I'm sorry you weren't informed,' Hawkins told AZ Family.

Hawkins said he had also made repeated reports to DCS, including allegations of sexual abuse.

'I made it clear to the investigator and DCS that the system failed her,' he said. 'We have logs and logs of the times where, over the past years, they've been contacted, of the worry that we had.'

'We got word of sexual abuse about a year and a half ago, and they [DCS] turned a blind eye to it.'
Girl, 10, who died all alone 'begged teachers not to make her go home'

So not only was the school reporting (over a dozen times) but family members say they were as well, over and over. WHY was this not prevented?? In one article I read the school indicated that of the dozen or so calls they made to DCS, only 3 were ever assigned a caseworker to investigate?? How can this be? We must do better by children. We simply must.

I'm saddened but not surprised at all. There are so many cases like this. See Gabriel Fernandez, for example. I myself survived similar circumstances as a child. A doctor noted I had visible trauma in my private areas when I was 6 years old. My brother and I were extremely emaciated for years. The abuse was right there in the open. Still nothing was done despite multiple reports to DCS by other parents, teachers, concerned neighbors, etc. DCS needs to be held accountable for cases like this. Whoever failed to follow up or made the decision not to follow up needs to face consequences for allowing this to happen. She is dead in part due to their negligence.

 

[TMich6811]

I'm saddened but not surprised at all. There are so many cases like this. See Gabriel Fernandez, for example. I myself survived similar circumstances as a child. A doctor noted I had visible trauma in my private areas when I was 6 years old. My brother and I were extremely emaciated for years. The abuse was right there in the open. Still nothing was done despite multiple reports to DCS by other parents, teachers, concerned neighbors, etc. DCS needs to be held accountable for cases like this. Whoever failed to follow up or made the decision not to follow up needs to face consequences for allowing this to happen. She is dead in part due to their negligence.

 

[georgiajean]

Police bodycam footage released of the day Rebekah was taken to the hospital. Rebekah Baptiste laid to rest as bodycam video released of police interaction

"Police records indicate that the Phoenix apartment where the family lived was the subject of 12 police calls in the last two and a half years. These included reports of possible sexual abuse, a missing child, and two calls for assaults."

"
During the latest incident, Woods claimed, “She has a long history of running to DCS and making up stories about her brothers and us.” When officers asked if there had been prior DCS cases, Richard Baptiste replied, “Yes. I just got them back from the state.”"

 

[dmac55]

Task force launched to review child safety reporting laws after death of 10-year-old known to DCS - KTAR News Task force launched to review child safety reporting laws after death of 10-year-old known to DCS — KTAR News

 

[tlcya]

I hope the task force leads to real change. I want to believe that is possible. but the cynic in me has seen too many instances where a task force or special committee is formed after some outrageous case and all it ends up being is a platform for politicians and local community activists to make the right mouth noises for the public and enjoy the facetime while not accomplishing a dang thing to effectuate real change.