A disturbing 911 call has emerged in the case of a 10-year-old girl, who died three days after she was found unresponsive at an intersection of two highways in Holbrook, Arizona.
On July 27, Rebekah Baptiste was discovered by police officers in a severely dehydrated and malnourished state, and was reportedly unresponsive.
Prosecutors further revealed that the child was missing toenails and showed signs of “torture," according to WDBJ7.
Authorities released a chilling 911 call, placed on July 27 by an unidentified woman, who was calm and unemotional despite the severity of the 10-year-old's condition.
“She ran away for the third time in a week in the desert, and when the neighbors found her in the wash, she was unresponsive completely,” the caller said, cited by Fox 10.
While waiting for the ambulance, the woman was performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the child.
“She just ran away. This is like the third time now, and she still hasn't even, like, really bounced back from the first time,” the caller added. “But when the neighbor found her, said that she was just almost gasping.”
The woman continued: “By the time she got back to the house, she was barely breathing, so I'm breathing for her now. She's unresponsive, unconscious, and unable to breathe for herself.”
When asked if she knew CPR, she responded: “Yes, I do, unfortunately.” The call ended as sirens approached.
Rebekah’s father, 32-year-old Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, 29-year-old Anicia Woods, have been arrested in connection with her death.
Both face charges including first-degree murder, kidnapping, and three counts of child abuse - two of which relate to the late child's younger brothers, who are now in state custody.
Her uncle, Damon Hawkins, told AZ Family that Rebekah was “black and blue from her head to toe” with two black eyes when she was found.
“They’re thinking the cause of death was because of a hemorrhage,” Hawkins said.
Rebekah had reportedly begged teachers not to send her home, according to school officials.
According to The Mirror, Empower College Prep, where she attended, said it contacted Arizona’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) 12 times between November 2023 and January 2025 about concerns for Rebekah and her brothers.
However, the DCS spokesperson said the agency received only five calls from the school, and just one met the statutory threshold for investigation.
“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,” DCS spokesperson Darren DaRonco said. “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.”
Empower’s Executive Director Brian Holman expressed frustration at the agency’s handling of the reports, stating that many concerns were not properly investigated and that follow-ups were missed.
Natalia Mariscal, the school’s director of student services, said multiple staff, social workers, and outside service providers had raised alarms about abuse and neglect affecting the children.
In a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses, Hawkins described Rebekah as a “bright light” known for her “infectious laughter, unwavering kindness, dedication to her family, and her positive attitude.”
He added: “She touched countless lives with her generosity, wisdom, and her passion for life and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.”
The Arizona Department of Child Safety said it is “actively collaborating with law enforcement in a joint investigation to ensure that the people responsible for this heinous act are brought to justice.”