'I'm breathing for her now': 911 call released before death of Rebekah Baptiste
911 call released in Arizona child's death
A chilling 911 call has been released in the case of Rebekah Baptiste, a 10-year-old girl who died three days after being found unresponsive in Apache County. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has the details.
APACHE COUNTY, Ariz. - A chilling 911 call has been released in the case of Rebekah Baptiste, a 10-year-old girl who died three days after being found unresponsive in Apache County.
Her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, are now charged with first-degree murder and three counts of child abuse.
Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods
The 911 Call:
The woman who called 911 on July 27, not confirmed to be Woods, did not appear to be emotional on the recordings.
The call paints a picture of the final moments before emergency medical services found the girl.
"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.
At the time, Rebekah was living in a remote desert home with her father and Woods. The woman on the call claims to be giving the girl mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in the car as 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 said. "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."
When asked by the dispatcher if she knew CPR, the woman replied, "Yes, I do, unfortunately."
The call ends as sirens are heard approaching.
Police records show that Rebekah was taken to Little Colorado Medical Center in Holbrook before being flown to Phoenix Children's Hospital, where she later died.
Prosecutors allege that "long-term, horrendous abuse" caused her death on July 30, and she suffered from severe brain bleeding that left her brain-dead.
RELATED: Reports of abuse reportedly made to DCS years before Arizona girl's death
Dig deeper:
Court records show that this was not the first time Rebekah needed care for her injuries.
Staff at her school, Empower College Prep, described her as a bright and eager student who won many awards. They told FOX 10 they had made multiple calls to the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) regarding her welfare.
DCS stated that reports must meet a specific threshold to be investigated and that only one of the calls about Rebekah in the last year met that requirement.
Empower College Prep will hold a celebration of life for Rebekah on Aug. 14 at 1 p.m. The school is asking attendees to wear the color magenta.
What's next:
Baptiste and Woods are being held in jail without bond, the Apache County Sheriff's Office said.