HOLBROOK, AZ — A newly released video shows the moments leading to the arrest of Richard Baptiste and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, who have been charged with murder and child abuse in the death of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste.
The police body-cam video was obtained by ABC15 through a records request. It shows police meeting the family on July 27 at a highway intersection in Holbrook. There, police found Rebekah unresponsive and severely injured.
“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.”
Woods tells police that DCS kept having to open new cases, noting her school was reporting “marks” on her arms.
“The first time she ran away, she told us that she didn't want to live here. She was just trying to leave. But we explained to her, everyone explained to her, the dangers that come with this,” Woods said.
First responders were able to detect a pulse, and Rebekah was taken to a hospital in Winslow. Later, she was transported to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where she died three days later.
A report from the Navajo County Sheriff's Office released earlier this month details the "horrendous conditions" prosecutors allege Rebekah endured.
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.
Baptiste and Woods described behavioral issues with Rebekah during their interview with detectives. The couple said the kids had, at one time, been in foster care for three to four years.
The couple detailed multiple times that Rebekah had tried to run away while living at their new home and also shared that Rebekah had tried to leave out of their window when they lived in Phoenix.
They said on July 27, Rebekah ran away, and a neighbor found her in a wash.
The report said detectives were told Rebekah had a "brain bleed" and chunks of hair appeared to be pulled out of Rebekah's head.
At one point, detectives received pictures of the 10-year-old's injuries.
"I have investigated countless assaults, fights, domestic violence incidents and other incidents of child abuse. I had never seen anything like the photos of [Rebekah's] injuries," wrote one detective. "From head to toe, I saw injuries on [Rebekah's] body."
During their interviews, detectives pressed the couple on details of the day and the injuries Rebekah had. Some questions included why the family had stopped for gas and changed Rebekah's pants before seeking help.
In their report, detectives note the couple's lack of emotion even when Baptiste was shown pictures of his daughter's injuries.
Eventually, the report said both Baptiste and Woods told detectives they punished Rebekah using a "belt," but Baptiste allegedly admitted to using "excessive force".
The couple denied other allegations.
"Richard also disclosed a history of involvement with the Department of Child Safety (DCS) due to allegations of abuse, and possible sexual abuse," detectives note in the new report. "Richard advised each claim to DCS was unsubstantiated."
Baptiste and Woods are scheduled to be back in court on September 4 for a preliminary hearing.
