Girl, 10, who died after ‘torture’ left heartbreaking final note after begging for help

A little girl who desperately tried to escape the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of her father and his girlfriend left her friend a devastating note before she died after suffering horrific injuries

Rebekah was known as a ‘beautiful soul’ to loved ones

A little girl who jumped out of a two-storey apartment building to try and escape the alleged abuse she suffered lived in ‘horrendous’ conditions before her tragic death, according to police reports.

Rebekah Baptiste, 10, was found not breathing and severely injured by police on a highway in Holbrook, north Arizona, on July 27, reports citing the Apache County Sheriff’s Office said. Emergency services rushed her to Little Colorado Medical Centre in Winslow, Arizona.

The school girl, known as a ‘bright light’ to loved ones, was then flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital before she died alone on July 30. Detailing the unthinkable abuse she allegedly endured, prosecutors said in a court hearing on Monday that Rebekah had suffered severe injuries and was malnourished, had bruises all over her body and was missing toenails. It comes as another toddler, 3, was sick on her dress before a reality TV winner beat her to death.READ MORE: Staggering missed chances to save girl, 10, who ‘jumped from window to escape torture’READ MORE: Man prowling streets wearing a nappy uttered ‘four horrifying words to young girl’

Rebekah was found unresponsive by police(Image: Jam Press/Apache County Sheriff’s Office)

Brave Rebekah is said to have begged teachers not to let her go home, and even once jumped out of a two-storey apartment building to escape, but action wasn’t taken to free her from the torment.

One doctor described what had happened to her as “torture”, prosecutors said. AZ Family reports prosecutors said Rebekah’s condition showed signs of “child physical abuse, sexual abuse and torture”.

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Her father Richard Daniel Baptiste, 32, and his girlfriend Anicia Woods, 29, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping and three counts of child abuse.

Two of the child abuse charges were in connection to alleged abuse of Rebekah’s younger brothers. The two boys are now in the custody of the state. Baptiste and Woods are being held on a $1million bond.

Her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are facing murder charges(Image: Jam Press/Apache County Sheriff’s Office)

And now devstating details have emerged about Rebekah’s alleged living conditions before her death. A newly obtained police report, seen by ABC15 Arizona, is said to note that Baptiste and Woods had moved to a yurt without round-the-clock access to electricity, having to shower using cups. The alleged conditions were deemed ‘horrendous’.

The report also claims that the couple would use “physical activity as punishment”, with Woods allegedly telling detectives that this “included walking and running laps around the property”.

Neighbours living in the apartment block where Rebekah lived before her dad moved her to a tent in rural Apache County have shared their heartbreak over the tragedy.

The little girl allegedly lived in ‘horrendous’ conditions(Image: Navajo County Sherrif’s Office)

One visibly distressed woman told ABC15: “She was a beautiful, beautiful soul. She would literally be the protector of the kids. No child deserves that.

She also claimed: “Every single neighbour was concerned why the hell they made them run laps for hours without water. They used it as a form of discipline.”

A heartbreaking handwritten card, made by little Rebekah before she was taken to live in a tent, was also shown by the neighbour. The pink note, seemingly addressed to a friend and adorned with a love heart and smiley faces, read: “Dear Ellie, you’re my bested friend I ever had [sic]. I’m going to miss you when I’m gone. Take care Ellie, from Rebekah.

The tragic note little Rebekah left her friend(Image: ABC)

Of Rebekah’s injuries, the new police report from the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office is said to state that the little girl was “suffering from some type of brain bleed or brain injury and was last reported to be ‘brain dead’.”

Since Rebekhah’s death, a row has unfolded after her uncle and an official at the school she went to both said the state could have done more to protect her. Staff at the school say that tragically, little girl begged not to go home.

Despite multiple calls to child protection services, the school say their efforts to raise the alarm went ignored. And records of their correspondence seemingly went missing.

Addressing the state’s measures, Rebekah’s uncle Damon Hawkins said: “They didn’t do enough to protect her. They absolutely failed,” according to AZ Central.

“She was black and blue from her head to toe. She had two black eyes, and they’re thinking the cause of death was because of a haemorrhage,” the devastated family member said.

Anicia Woods has been arrested in connection with Rebekah’s death(Image: Jam Press/Apache County Sheriff’s Office)

Rebekah’s school said it called Arizona’s Department of Child Safety (DCS) 12 times between November 2023 and January this year. But this was disputed by the DCS and a spokesperson told ABC15 that Empower College Prep called their hotline five times over the past year. The spokesperson also said only one of the allegations raised met their statutory criteria.

On the four other occasions, the DCS was “not able to investigate the allegations because they did not meet the statutory threshold for abuse or neglect”, according to spokesperson Darren DaRonco.

“We take every call to our hotline seriously, but we only have the authority to initiate an investigation if the call meets statutory report criteria,” Mr DaRonco said. “Rebekah deserved love, safety and a chance to thrive. There are no words that will make sense of the pain she endured or her life that was tragically cut short.”

But the school’s Executive Director Brian Holman said it “cannot explain why DCS is missing records of our calls” and that it was not informed the complaints it raised did not meet the statutory threshold for abuse. He also said at least 20 additional reports to DCS were made by outside agencies, according to the ABC15 report. A team at the DCS will now review the case.

Rebekah’s family are raising funds for her funeral(Image: GoFundMe)

Mr Holman said: “Our staff was told four times that the report was assigned to the same DCS Supervisor for further investigation. She only visited the school once to further investigate.

“We were promised a follow-up that never occurred, even though each of the 12 reports included clear and observable signs of abuse, neglect, and ongoing harm of a young girl and her two younger brothers.”

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Natalia Mariscal, the school’s director of student services, added: “I’ve had social workers concerned, students make statements that they were concerned about their classmate, as well as teachers, administration, [and] outside service providers that work with the students – all concerned that there was abuse and neglect happening at home toward all of the children.”

In a GoFundMe for Rebekah’s funeral costs, Damon Hawkins called Rebekah a “bright light”. He said Rebekah was “known for her infectious laughter, unwavering kindness, dedication to her family and her positive attitude”.

He said: “She touched countless lives with her generosity, wisdom, and her passion for life and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.”