A disturbing 911 call in the case of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste, who died last month, has been released.
Rebekah passed away on July 30, three days after she was found unresponsive at the intersection of two highways in Holbrook, Arizona.
According to reports, she was found dehydrated and malnourished by police officers, while prosecutors say Rebekah was missing her toenails when she was discovered.
32-year-old Richard Baptiste, Rebekah’s father, as well as his girlfriend, 29-year-old Anicia Woods, have been arrested in connection with her death.
The Apache County Sheriff’s Office has charged the Arizona couple with first-degree murder and child abuse, as per court records seen by People.
An unidentified woman who called 911 on July 27 did not appear to be emotional when describing the condition of Rebekah to the call dispatcher.
Rebekah Baptiste died three days after she was found unresponsive on the highway (Apache County Sheriff’s Office)
“She ran away for the third time in a week in the desert, and when the neighbors found her in the wash, she was unresponsive completely,” the woman said on the call, Fox 10 reports.
The caller claims she was giving the girl mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while they drove to meet an ambulance.
“She just ran away. This is like the third time now, and she still hasn’t even, like, really bounced back from the first time,” the woman added.
“But when the neighbor found her, said that she was just almost gasping.”
She continued: “By the time she got back to the house, she was barely breathing, so I’m breathing for her now. She’s unresponsive, unconscious, and unable to breathe for herself.”
The woman was then asked if she knew CPR, to which she responded: “Yes, I do, unfortunately.”
The call then concluded as sirens, presumably of an ambulance, could be heard approaching.
Prosecutors allege the child was ‘tortured’ and they claim there were signs Rebekah had been physically and sexually abused.
Rebekah’s uncle, Damon Hawkins, spoke to AZ Family in the days after his niece died, claiming she was ‘black and blue from her head to toe’ and had two black eyes when she was found on July 27.
Anicia Woods and Richard Baptiste are facing murder charges (Apache County Sheriff’s Office)
“She had two black eyes, and they’re thinking the cause of death was because of a hemorrhage,” Hawkins said.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety told AZ Family it was ‘actively collaborating with law enforcement in a joint investigation to ensure that the people responsible for this heinous act are brought to justice’.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
