Police contacted DCS 5 times after contact with Rebekah Baptiste, siblings

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department says it contacted the Department of Child Safety five times after contact with Rebekah Baptiste and her siblings. The 10-year-old girl was found tortured and abused on July 27 and died from her injuries three days later.

Phoenix PD said from August of 2018 through April of this year, they responded to multiple reports involving the Baptiste children. None of the interactions resulted in an arrest.

• In August of 2018, it was a welfare check, and detectives contacted DCS
• In December of 2023, it was another welfare check. Officers contacted DCS, and detectives who followed up on the case also contacted DCS.
• In February of 2024, police contacted the family for an “accidental injury.” DCS was notified.
• In November of 2024, officers investigated an allegation of child abuse/neglect, where detectives alerted DCS.
• In April of 2025, police investigated a “minor injury to child,” and detectives who followed up contacted DCS.

Staff at Rebekah’s school, Empower College Prep, said their school resource officer was also involved in the April 2025 incident.

“He observed marks of a black eye,” said Brian Holman, Empower’s Executive Director.

RELATED: 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste was found dead in Holbrook. Her former teachers in Phoenix are outraged, and demand DCS accountability.

They said that after Rebekah was absent from school for several days, the SRO visited Rebekah’s home and witnessed her with a black eye. The school said the SRO also contacted DCS to seek protection for her.

Not long after that, the Baptiste family moved to rural Apache County.

On July 27, Rebekah was found tortured and abused, according to prosecutors. She died three days later.

Her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, have been charged with her murder.

“This is a department that I think the intention and goal is incredibly beneficial and important, and we want to have in place, but things fall through the cracks time and time again,” said Natalina Mariscal, Empower’s Director of Student Social Services.

Mariscal and Holman sat down for an interview with 12News on Thursday while holding a stack of documents, showing that they made 12 reports to DCS regarding Rebekah and her siblings. 

RELATED: Gov. Hobbs addresses murder of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste

DCS alleged that they received five reports from the school, and only one of those reports met the statutory criteria for an investigation.

Staff at Empower said they were told that on four occasions, their reports were assigned to the same DCS supervisor for further investigation.

They said following Rebekah’s death, they’ve also heard from other organizations and agencies who had interactions with the Baptiste children and stated they made an additional 20 calls to DCS.

“Unfortunately, that is why I have our staff keep these documents,” Mariscal said. “It’s unfortunate that we are tallying and counting how many reports were made and having to have this back and forth when that’s really not what’s important here.”

As Empower’s staff try to grapple with the loss of the girl they tried so hard to save, they’re vowing to keep using their voice in hopes of preventing this kind of tragedy from happening again.

“While being distraught about the loss, Rebekah, we also are desperate to make sure that something changes,” Holman said.

In a statement, DCS said in part:

“We take every call to our hotline seriously, but we only have the authority to initiate an investigation if the call meets statutory report criteria. Rebekah deserved love, safety, and a chance to thrive. There are no words that will make sense of the pain she endured or her life that was tragically cut short. 

Her loss is a sorrow we carry deeply, a reminder of the work we must never stop doing. We know this loss is felt most deeply by her school community, that saw Rebekah most often. In honoring her memory, the department will strive to educate our schools to better understand what meets report criteria so that when they do make a call to the Hotline, we can take appropriate action.”

DCS also said that state law requires the department to use a safety assessment model during an investigation. Children must be in present or impending danger to qualify for removal. The model requires the department to interview victims and perpetrators; however, they cannot force participation.

“Without the ability to compel participation, the Department may not always be able to gather the information necessary to convince a court that removal from the home is necessary,” DCS said in a statement.

You can now watch 12News content anytime, anywhere, thanks to the 12News+ app! 

The free 12News+ app from 12News lets users stream live events — including daily newscasts like “Today in AZ” and “12 News” and our daily lifestyle program, “Arizona Midday”—on Roku and Amazon Fire TV. 

12News+  showcases live video throughout the day for breaking news, local news, weather and even an occasional moment of Zen showcasing breathtaking sights from across Arizona. 

Users can also watch on-demand videos of top stories, local politics, I-Team investigations, Arizona-specific features and vintage videos from the 12News archives. 

Roku: Add the channel from the Roku store or by searching for “12 News KPNX.” 

Amazon Fire TV: Search for “12 News KPNX” to find the free 12News+ app to add to your account, or have the 12News+ app delivered directly to your Amazon Fire TV through Amazon.com or the Amazon app. 

Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today.