A lawsuit has officially been filed against the state, alleging the Arizona Department of Child Safety failed to protect a 10-year-old girl.
Rebekah Baptiste was found unresponsive in Holbrook, Arizona on July 27, 2025. A few days later she passed away after being transported to Phoenix Children's Hospital.
Her dad, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, have been arrested and charged with Rebekah's murder and child abuse.
The ABC15 Investigators learned the Baptiste family had a lengthy history with the Department of Child Safety, including an open investigation when the family moved from Phoenix to rural Apache County.
"It's horrible because no child should ever endure that," said attorney Matt Boatman with Gallagher and Kennedy.
Boatman is representing Baptiste's mom, Sandi Hawkins. At the time of Rebekah's death, Hawkins did not have custody of the 10-year-old or her siblings.
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
Submit your news tip to Investigators@abc15.com
Earlier this year, Boatman filed a notice of claim on behalf of Rebekah's mom.
This month they filed a wrongful death lawsuit, suing the state and alleging DCS failed to stop a "pattern" of abuse.
Boatman told ABC15, even now, they are still waiting on various records in this case.
The lawsuit lists 19 times that people tried to report concerns and intervene out of concern for Rebekah and her two younger brothers.
Many of those calls came from "school personnel" at Empower College Prep. The Baptiste children were students at the school until May 2025.
Some of the calls, according to the complaint, were taken as "information only".
"The signs were there," said Boatman. "Toenails missing, disheveled disposition, kids complaining that they didn't want to go home."
Through public records requests, ABC15 has also received Phoenix police reports involving the Baptiste family. Officers took photos of injuries on the Baptiste children during various calls.
Some of those pictures were from October 2024, when Rebekah ended up at Phoenix Children's. The police report said she ran to a nearby gas station, telling the manager she was "being abused by her stepmother".
The report said she was ultimately discharged to her father, and DCS was notified.
"In our opinion. DCS really dropped the ball here," said Boatman.
The complaint alleges negligence along with negligent hiring, training, retention, and supervision.
It also says DCS failed to fix systemic problems, like issues with their child abuse hotline.
The ABC15 Investigators uncovered issues with the hotline and learned it was once again overwhelmed in January of this year.
Boatman said this lawsuit is about accountability.
"Our goal is to effectuate change in this community, in particular with DCS," said Boatman. "This is an entity that exists to protect children."
The newly filed complaint isn't the only legal action the firm is planning to take. Boatman said Rebekah's brothers are also victims of abuse, and they plan to file a notice of claim on their behalf as well.
DCS provided ABC15 with a statement in response to our request for comment.
"The Arizona Department of Child Safety cannot comment on pending litigation. Rebekah Baptiste’s death was a tragedy, and protecting children from abuse and neglect remains our highest priority."
DCS has previously said the allegations of abuse they received were unsubstantiated, and the agency didn't have enough under the law to take the kids.
The criminal case against Baptiste and Woods is still ongoing. The pair is due back in Apache County Court next month.
