July 30 marks one year since Rebekah Baptiste, 10, died after being found badly injured.
Rebekah's dad, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are both facing multiple charges, including child abuse and first-degree murder.
The young girl's death sparked loud calls for change, after the school Rebekah attended said they repeatedly tried to warn the Arizona Department of Child Safety.
The ABC15 Investigators launched an investigation into the agency, DCS: State of Failure.
Now, one year later, ABC15 returned to Empower College Prep for a remembrance ceremony.
As school administrators call for continued focus on the safety of kids, our team sat down with state Senator Carine Werner.
As the Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, Sen. Werner has direct oversight of DCS.
The state agency and vulnerable children were a focus this legislative session, following the death of three kids known to DCS.
REMEMBERING REBEKAH
Empower College Prep, Rebekah's former school, held a small remembrance ceremony Thursday.
Staff, administrators, and teachers showed up in pink, Rebekah's favorite color.
Together, they shared memories and laid pink roses at the foot of a tree planted in Rebekah's honor.
It was staff at this school who told ABC15 they called the state Department of Child Safety, repeatedly, trying to get help for the young girl and her two brothers.
All three Baptiste children attended Empower until May 2025, when their dad moved the family to rural Apache County.
"Everyone on campus loved her because she just had a sparkle to her," said Rebekah's former teacher, Phenicia Swalley.
She said Rebekah used to come play in her classroom at lunch.
"I would do her hair for her, that way she would feel confident," said Swalley.
A sign which reads 'Rebekah's Classroom' is hung on the wall of Swalley's room, along with pictures of the 10-year-old.
"I feel like, as a community, we were so unsettled because we had done everything we could," said Swalley.
She and others at the school told ABC15 the last year has been tough on everyone.
"There is some sense of feeling grateful that Rebekah is not suffering anymore, because what she endured was unimaginable," said K-8 Principal Becky Jones.
From handing out small notes promoting kindness to even getting special tattoos, staff have found their own ways to remember their former scholar.
Teachers at Empower said Rebekah's legacy is creating lasting impacts.
"I feel like her brothers have an opportunity now to thrive, unfortunately it was the expense of her life," said Swalley. "Laws have been changed because of Rebekah."
"The rage, the disgust, the sadness, it’s all still there," said Natalina Mariscal. "But has given me hope is that Rebekah’s story has led to some change."
Mariscal works as the Director of Student Social Services for Empower. She said her mind is constantly wondering what other gaps in the system still exist.
"When will we decide to say protecting kids isn’t a finished story," said Mariscal.
CHANGE AT THE STATE CAPITOL
The death of Rebekah, Zariah Dodd, and Emily Pike in 2025 sparked change at the state capitol. All three kids were known to DCS in some way.
A year after Rebekah's death, new laws can help child abuse hotline workers better gauge when a Department of Child Safety investigation is needed, especially when multiple reports are made about the same family.
"We all heard of the infamous 12 calls from Rebekah Baptiste's school to DCS, and only one met the threshold criteria," said State Sen. Carine Werner, a Republican representing District 4.
Of the 13 child welfare reform bills that became law in 2026, Werner sponsored six. One bill strengthens mandatory reporting rules, so school employees must contact DCS directly instead of passing reports to administrators. Another law allows hotline workers to access the history of reports about a child's family regardless of whether investigations occurred.
"I believe that if this had been in place when the calls were happening on Rebekah Baptiste that she would have been saved," Werner said.
Sen. Werner also said she still has confidence in DCS director Kathryn Ptak.
"[Ptak] is very receptive, and she implements change quickly," Werner said. She added that DCS caseworkers' hearts are in the "right place," and "if we can give them the proper tools and support, then they can do a better job in protecting children."
Sen. Werner said she would have liked to do more reforms involving foster group homes.
Two other children in the child welfare system, Emily Pike,14, and Zariah Dodd,16, were both murdered after leaving their group homes without permission.
Former foster children and community advocates tell ABC15 these facilities need better conditions, stronger staff training, and tighter regulation.
"When a kid gets placed in a placement and taken from their home, it's based on luck," said Hayden L'Heureux, a former foster child. "Am I going to be placed in a good placement or am I going to be another place that retraumatizes kids?"
"At what point are we going to hold people accountable for doing their job?" said Anika Robinson, who is an advocate for foster children. "It is a state-run agency, and Arizona needs to do better for our foster children."
ABC15 requested an interview this week with DCS Director Ptak to discuss reform progress. We are awaiting a response.
Earlier this week, the ABC15 Investigators detailed a new lawsuit against the state filed by Baptiste's mom.
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NO TRIAL DATES SET
ABC15 has been tracking the court case against Baptiste and Woods in Apache County.
The June trial dates for the pair were vacated and still have yet to be rescheduled.
The decision was made in court on May 4, as everyone waits for the autopsy to be completed.
ABC15 first reported the parties had still not received the autopsy from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office back in March.
"The severity and variety of injuries that R.B. suffered made this autopsy examination exceptionally time consuming," said prosecutor Brad Roach later in a court filing. "In addition to the typical medical records review for any autopsy the MCME decided it needed to review the Department of Child Services records for R.B. pre-dating her death. These documents were approximately 8,000 pages long."
The Maricopa County Attorney's Office also filed a response on behalf of the MCME, saying there may be lab and other test results, expert reports, or statements that need to be reviewed.
The filing also said the autopsy was estimated to be finished around mid-May, and there is no statutory deadline.
The parties were supposed to meet in June, but the court date was pushed back to August 17.
A year after Rebekah's death, new laws can help child abuse hotline workers better gauge when a Department of Child Safety investigation is needed, especially when multiple reports are made about the same family.
"We all heard of the infamous 12 calls from Rebekah Baptiste's school to DCS, and only one met the threshold criteria," said State Sen. Carine Werner, a Republican representing District 4.
Of the 13 child welfare reform bills that became law in 2026, Werner sponsored six. One bill strengthens mandatory reporting rules, so school employees must contact DCS directly instead of passing reports to administrators. Another law allows hotline workers to access the history of calls about a child's family in one report, and it requires them to review the last 90 days before deciding whether to refer the allegations to DCS investigators.
"I believe that if this had been in place when the calls were happening on Rebekah Baptiste that she would have been saved," Werner said.
Sen. Werner also said she still has confidence in DCS director Kathryn Ptak.
"[Ptak] is very receptive, and she implements change quickly," Werner said. She added that DCS caseworkers' hearts are in the "right place," and "if we can give them the proper tools and support, then they can do a better job in protecting children."
Sen. Werner said she would have liked to do more reforms involving foster group homes.
Two other children in the child welfare system, Emily Pike,14, and Zariah Dodd,16, were both murdered after leaving their group homes without permission.
Former foster children and community advocates tell ABC15 these facilities need better conditions, stronger staff training, and tighter regulation.
"When a kid gets placed in a placement and taken from their home, it's based on luck," said Hayden L'Heureux, a former foster child. "Am I going to be placed in a good placement or am I going to be another place that retraumatizes kids?"
"At what point are we going to hold people accountable for doing their job?" said Anika Robinson, who is an advocate for foster children. "It is a state-run agency, and Arizona needs to do better for our foster children."
ABC15 requested an interview this week with DCS Director Ptak to discuss reform progress. We are awaiting a response.
