PHOENIX — ABC15 is launching an in-depth series titled DCS: State of Failure.
This ongoing project is being spearheaded by the ABC15 Investigators and includes Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) reporting, exclusive interviews, and analysis from our team.
We’re launching DCS: State of Failure because too often, and for far too long, Arizona has failed to protect vulnerable children from abuse, neglect, and danger.
In recent months, our newscasts have been filled with a new batch of troubling deaths, including Rebekah Baptiste, Emily Pike, and Zariah Dodd.
But problems go back as far as you want to look.
In 2014, state officials promised to put an end to the systemic failures by abolishing the state’s Department of Child Protective Services and creating a brand new agency: The Department of Child Safety (DCS).
As part of this series, ABC15 sat down exclusively with DCS Director Kathryn Ptak to talk about our project. Watch her response and full interview below.
At the time, then-Governor Jan Brewer said, “Enough with the uninvestigated abuse cases. Enough with the neglect. Enough with the lack of transparency. And enough with the excuses.”
Now, more than a decade later, how is DCS doing?
In addition to child deaths, repeated state audits continue to highlight dozens of problems within the agency, and lawmakers and community leaders want more oversight and investigation into the embattled department.
So what can viewers and readers expect from DCS: State of Failure?
ABC15 is committed to digging into the issues, highlighting problems, and searching for solutions.
Our reporters and anchors are holding state leaders accountable, and our newsroom will be open and ready to hear from those impacted by the system: families, foster parents, caregivers, social workers, investigators, and whistleblowers.
We want and need to hear from anyone in the system and impacted by it. To reach our team, email us in confidence at DCS@abc15.com.
Follow the latest updates to the DCS: State of Failure series at ABC15.com/DCS.
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Emily Pike
Emily Pike, 14, was found dead on Valentine’s Day 2025 when her remains were found in Gila County.
The San Carlos Apache teenager was reported missing from her group home in Mesa in January and was found dead on February 14 off Highway 60 northeast of Globe.
The Gila County Sheriff’s Office is the lead agency investigating her death.
As of September 1, no arrests have been made in her case.
There is a reward being offered in her case — you can contact the FBI’s Toll-free tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).
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Rebekah Baptiste
On July 27, a Holbrook police report shows officers met the Baptiste family at an intersection. There, officers found Rebekah Baptiste not breathing and severely injured. In their reports, officers noted the 10-year-old had bruises and appeared malnourished.
The young girl was transported to Phoenix Children's hospital and died three days later on July 30. Her own father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, have been charged with murder and child abuse.
Rebekah and her two siblings were previously living in Phoenix, but court records show that in early July, Baptiste and Woods moved the family to a remote area of Apache County. There, the family was living in a "yurt" style tent with unreliable electricity and no access to a "proper shower."
Rebekah and her brothers' former school, Empower College Prep, has been vocal that administrators and staff reached out to DCS in the months and years prior to the young girl's death. Administrators said they reported concerns of abuse and neglect repeatedly.
ABC15's Craig McKee sat down with Empower College Prep to discuss the Baptiste case:
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Zariah Dodd
Zariah Dodd, 16, was found shot and killed at a park in Phoenix near 55th Avenue and Osborn Road in July.
The teen was found murdered after going missing from a Surprise group home.
Police accuse 36-year-old Jurrell Davis and 18-year-old Jechri James-Gillett of shooting and killing Dodd, who was pregnant at the time.
Investigators say Davis was the father of Dodd’s unborn child.
Court records show Dodd told her DCS caseworker and roommate she was afraid in the days and months before her murder while in the state’s care.
The DCS caseworker told officers after Dodd’s murder, “Zariah felt that if she did not have sexual intercourse…he would have done something to her with the handgun.”
DCS told ABC15 it reported the incident with the gun to Phoenix police in April 2025.
Phoenix and Surprise police would not confirm to ABC15 if they took the call, who investigated, or why a forensic interview wasn’t scheduled until three months later, on July 8th.
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Two kids with Type 1 diabetes have died in DCS custody
Jakob Blodgett, 9, and Christian William, 15, both had Type 1 diabetes and died in DCS custody from preventable conditions caused by not having enough insulin.
“They let him die. They killed him,” said Jakob's grandmother, Cheryl Doenges, in a previous interview with ABC15.
Medical records obtained by the ABC15 Investigators showed the state struggled to manage Jakob’s diabetes from the beginning, and the group home where DCS placed Jakob allowed him to refuse the insulin he needed to stay alive.
Jakob died due to complications of diabetes a day after Christmas in 2022, according to the autopsy.
Christian died in July 2024 while living at a Mesa group home. Staff called 911, but the call for help was ultimately too late to save Christian’s life.
According to police reports and a state incident report, Christian was also allowed to refuse his insulin.
“They failed us,” said Christian’s mother, Bobbie Williams.
Mesa police body camera video obtained by the ABC15 Investigators also brought into question whether the group home’s employees were properly trained to manage Christian’s diabetes.
Both families have filed lawsuits against the state.
“This is the Department of Child Safety, and they’ve lost sight of the children and the concept of safety,” said attorney Robert Pastor in a previous interview with ABC15.
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Inside the numbers: Arizona's child welfare system sees major changes in custody and funding
Arizona's Department of Child Safety has experienced significant changes in recent years, with the number of children in state custody dropping dramatically while the agency continues to rely heavily on federal funding to operate.
By and large, kids are society's most vulnerable population, and Arizona's Department of Child Safety is the agency charged with protecting them when the people in their lives, for whatever reason, cannot.
From 2017 up until mid-2021, the number of children in DCS custody hovered from just under 14,000 to just under 15,000. That all changed in mid-2021 when the number of kids in their care began to consistently drop. By the end of 2024, DCS had 8,719 kids in out-of-home care — a decline of 37% from mid-2021.
A very sad reality is that kids die in DCS care. The average is nearly 20 a year since 2019, but the most recent semi-annual report shows that while six kids died in the care of DCS, it's the lowest of the reporting periods and trending down.
DCS needs about $1.3 billion annually. The bulk of that - 62% - is coming from federal grants. The state's general fund pitched in about $460 million in the most recent fiscal year.
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Calls for change
Arizona Senator Carine Werner has called for change within DCS. She launched a task force and spoke about it with ABC15's Javier Soto.
Watch the interview in the video player below:
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist, and a portion has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.