New details emerge in death of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste

School files reveal prior abuse reports before girl's death

Details are surfacing about the numerous reports filed with the Arizona Department of Child Safety before the death of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste. Her father & his girlfriend face first-degree murder charges. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach reports.

PHOENIX - New details have emerged about the many reports made to the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) leading up to the death of a 10-year-old girl.

Her father and his girlfriend are accused of first-degree murder.

What we know:

Rebekah Baptiste was enrolled at Empower College Prep in Phoenix at the time of her death, even though the family had recently moved to a remote area of Apache County.

Investigators from the Apache County Sheriff's Office spent more than four hours on Aug. 12 at the school, interviewing teachers, social workers and nurses.

According to a doctor at Phoenix Children's Hospital and a 140-page report, Rebekah was found covered in bruises. The doctor called her death "torture."

The Apache County Sheriff's Office says Rebekah's father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are responsible for her death.

Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods

Dig deeper:

Natalina Mariscal, the director of student social services at Empower College Prep, said the school's file on Rebekah and her siblings is "hefty."

"There's a lot of reports from DCS and investigators," Mariscal said. "There's a lot of visits from outside agencies to support their overall wellness and their safety."

School visitation records show that DCS and police spoke with the Baptiste children several times.

"It's extraordinarily unjust," said Brian Holman, founder and executive director of Empower College Prep. "And while Rebekah was alive, her voice did not result in the protection that she needed. And so we're wanting to amplify that voice and make sure that there's justice."

"There's great rage, there's anger, there's sadness, there's grief," Mariscal said. "It's definitely felt in every corner of the campus that she is gone."

Rebekah spent three years at Empower College Prep before her death. Now a magenta memorial, Rebekah's favorite color, sits in the administration office.

Mariscal created an extensive documentation process for teachers to fill out a form each time they call a DCS number, making sure to note the result of the call.

"Kiddos had shared that they didn't feel safe going home," Mariscal said. "And that wasn't just around the holidays, it was just like a random Tuesday."

School officials said they saw a pattern of the parents trying to withdraw the students from various services and programs at the school, "almost trying to isolate them."

"This is a remarkable young lady who, amidst all of her suffering, cared for her little brothers," Holman said. "That she was probably the most caring, mother, caring mother figure."

The school feels Rebekah's voice was not heard when she was alive, so they have made it their mission to amplify it. They planted a tree in her honor to remember the life she had ahead of her.