She jumped out a window to escape—but her father’s abuse still claimed her life
A ten-year-old girl’s death in rural Arizona has left a community shattered and asking how years of warnings weren’t enough to protect her. Rebekah Baptiste, 10, was found half-dead on a highway in Holbrook, Arizona, in July after what prosecutors describe as a “campaign of abuse” at the hands of her father Richard Baptiste, 32, and his girlfriend Anicia Woods, 29.
Despite being rushed to hospital, she died days later from what doctors called “non-accidental trauma.” Court documents detail months of horrific punishment: forced exercise routines, brutal beatings, and repeated use of belts. Doctors said Rebekah’s body bore signs of sexual abuse, chunks of missing hair, severe bruising, and possible cigarette burns.
Black and Blue From Head to Toe”. Rebekah’s uncle, Damon Hawkins, described the heartbreaking scene at the hospital. “She was black and blue from…
