Overview
- Phoenix police records released in December detail that in October 2024 the 9-year-old fled to a gas station and said her father’s girlfriend hit her with a brush and belt.
- Officers and hospital staff noted a bloody lip, bruising on her hands and feet, and other marks during her examination at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
- Police and child-welfare investigators closed that 2024 case, citing conflicting accounts, no witnesses, and caregiver claims that the injuries were self-inflicted.
- In July 2025 Rebekah was found unresponsive, bruised and malnourished in Apache County and later died, and Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods were charged with first-degree murder and child abuse; both have pleaded not guilty.
- DCS has acknowledged multiple prior reports involving the family, completed a months-long review in December, and lawmakers convened a bipartisan task force targeting reforms for the 2026 session.