APACHE COUNTY, AZ — It’s been exactly one month since Rebekah Baptiste was found at an intersection in Holbrook, Arizona, unresponsive and severely injured.
Newly obtained court documents and police reports detail more interactions with the Baptiste family in the months leading up to the family’s move from the Valley to rural Apache County.
Rebekah’s dad, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are both charged with murder and child abuse. Court documents also show the Apache County Attorney’s Office is hoping to join their cases as they move through the court system.
Joining the cases
Prosecutors have previously said in court that they believe Baptiste and Woods are “equally culpable.” They are hoping to join the two cases based on the overlapping evidence and “similar conduct.”
“The conduct led to the charges are all of the same or similar conduct and are connected together in their commission and are all part of a common scheme or plan,” prosecutors wrote a new court filing.
Prosecutors also wrote that the couple is now facing charges regarding not only Rebekah, but also the abuse of her two siblings.
Allegations of abuse
The new court filing also details Rebekah’s injuries, including a traumatic brain injury and spinal fracture.
Baptiste and Woods told police that the 10-year-old had run away and was eventually found by neighbors. But doctors at a Winslow hospital apparently said they didn’t believe the young girl was physically capable of running away.
The documents also provide insight into what Rebekah and her siblings allegedly told school administrators and other adults before the family moved to a remote area of Apache County.
“They would make allegations and have markings on them that were evident that aligned with the allegations that they made, and then would recant the stories the next day,” said Natalina Mariscal, director of student social services for Empower College Prep.
Empower told ABC15 that Rebekah and her two siblings attended the Valley school.
The court documents said the Baptiste kids told teachers and staff at Empower about injuries like scratches, a hurt toe, and different forms of punishments like planks or running laps with little to no water.
Prosecutors allege the children would often later change their stories “to protect their parents.”
Another court filing lists alleged abuse or neglect reported to the Arizona Department of Child Safety by Empower.
Those court filings also said Rebekah’s brothers were forensically interviewed after the 10-year-old’s death.
“She got hit, she always, she got hit a lot,” said one of the children.
A Navajo County Sheriff’s report said Baptiste and Woods did interviews with detectives and both allegedly admitted to using a belt as a form of punishment. Detectives write that Baptiste admitted to using “excessive force”.
In that interview, detectives noted that the couple detailed other instances where Rebekah ran away. One involved Rebekah jumping out of their two-story apartment window. These new court documents said Baptiste and Woods detailed an additional time the 10-year-old ran to a Phoenix gas station.
“[Rebekah] ran to a QT and exclaimed that her stepmother was abusing her, hitting her hands and legs,” said the court documents.
Phoenix police reports
For weeks, ABC,15’s team of investigators has been requesting records and court documents. On Wednesday, our team received two reports from Phoenix Police, both describing incidents with the Baptiste family.
One, from February 2024, details a scratch on one of Rebekah’s brothers. The Baptiste child described it as an accident involving Woods. The report said the young child told police he was scratched as he was getting in trouble for not doing his homework.
But the reporting officer said the child said he felt safe at home.
“While other unrelated DCS history exists for this family, the only other physical abuse was reported on 11/2/23,” the report said.
Police note this is the second similar allegation involving a scratch after a child in the home said he was in trouble for not cleaning.
The report noted efforts to contact Woods were unsuccessful and a message was not left.
Photos were taken of the injury and the report said DCS history was requested. The report notes that, at that time, there were no other Phoenix PD reports regarding alleged child abuse involving the Baptiste family. Ultimately, the case was closed.
“At this time, there is no evidence to support the crime of child abuse occurred,” wrote the officer.
The other report released detailed alleged behavioral and mental health issues.
ABC15 is waiting on other requested reports and video involving incidents with the Baptiste family and Phoenix police.
DCS response
DCS is now reviewing Rebekah’s case.
Last week, the department detailed the cases they investigated involving the Baptiste household.
Their timeline said there was an open case after an abuse allegation in May 2025, but a DCS report showed the department was still trying to locate the family when Rebekah was found by Holbrook Police.
ABC15 was told that in the last two years, there was no evidence found to support the reported allegations and not enough evidence, under the law, to take the kids.
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