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AZ child deaths: Lawmaker says system failed kids
An important step towards change was made at the Arizona State Capitol recently, as the state grapples with the deaths of three kids who were linked to the state's Department of Child Safety. FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum reports.
PHOENIX - Rebekah Baptiste, Emily Pike, and Zariah Dodd - these three girls were linked to the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), and ended up dead throughout the course of 2025.
On Sept. 3, an important step toward change was made at the State Capitol near Downtown Phoenix.
The backstory:
The meeting was prompted by the three aforementioned deaths.
Baptiste, 10, was tortured and abused for years before her death, while Pike's remains were discovered a hundred miles from her DCS-licensed group home in Mesa. Pike was 14 at the time of her death. As for Dodd, the pregnant 16-year-old was found shot and killed at a Phoenix park, after running away from a group home.
Following a major stakeholder meeting to address increasing scrutiny of the agency, a key state lawmaker said the system has failed Arizona's children.
"The system has failed children, absolutely," said State Sen. Carine Werner, a Republican who represents the state's 4th Legislative District.
What we know:
There was a heavy presence of tribal leaders at the meeting, and Pike's mother was also in attendance.
"I think this profile case has really plummeted this aspect of the issue forward," said State Sen. Theresa Hatathlie, a Democrat who represents the state's 6th Legislative District. "The problem itself has always existed."
State Sen. Werner announced that a key agreement was reached between tribal nations and DCS to improve communication.
"Our goal today was really to take on three things and walk away with an agreement between the tribes and DCS," State Sen. Werner said.
According to State Sen. Werner, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was reached. Under the agreement, tribes placing children in the care of DCS-licensed homes will provide information packets, including a history and a photo, to help law enforcement if a child goes missing
The need for such a protocol was highlighted in Pike's case. Pike was an Apache teen whom DCS had no record of when she ran away in January.
"DCS is very willing to start working on that right away, so this is something that can be implemented fairly quickly," Werner said.
Rosa Alvaraz, secretary of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, confirmed that progress was made.
"Definitely there will be a round two, so I'm looking forward to that meeting," Alvaraz said.
What's next:
While the MOU can be implemented soon, Werner said a more long-term challenge is retaining the agency's caseworkers.
"The caseworkers are very young, they are people who typically only stay there two years," Werner said. "I believe we have to incentivize them so that we keep them more than the two years and put them on a path where they're gonna love their job and they're gonna wanna stay there."
The other side:
DCS Director Kathryn Ptak left through a back door of the Senate building and did not comment.
We have also made several requests for a sit-down interview with the director, with no response.