PHOENIX — The family of Rebekah Baptiste has announced a funeral for the 10-year-old who died after being found with “severe injuries” last month.
Her family tells ABC15 that services will be held at a church in Surprise, and they are opening it to the public for those who want to pay their respects.
The 10-year-old was airlifted to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where she died three days later.
Richard Baptiste and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, have been charged with murder and child abuse in her death.
A report from the Navajo County Sheriff's Office released earlier this month details the "horrendous conditions" prosecutors allege Rebekah endured.
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The report paints a picture of daily life for Rebekah and her two siblings. Richard Baptiste moved the family from Phoenix to rural Apache County to live on land he said belonged to his family. The report said they were living in a Yurt without reliable electricity and no shower.
Body camera video released shows the moments leading to the arrest of her father and girlfriend.
“She's been running away for the last like three or four weeks since we've been here,” Richard Baptiste tells police. “She ran away this morning. We went out and tried to find her, and our neighbor found her.”
The couple told police the neighbor found Rebekah unresponsive, but still breathing, in a wash.
Police question the couple about what happened and about the involvement of the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS).
“She just ran away before we came up here. That one was super scary,” Woods tells police. “She jumped, she kicked out a screen and jumped out a good two-story window a week before we moved here.”
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.
