Funeral services for 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste are scheduled on Monday, and are open to the public. The day will start with a rosary at 10 a.m. at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Parish, followed by a funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m., and a graveside service at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Avondale. Authorities said Rebekah suffered "long-term, horrendous abuse" by her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, who are in jail facing murder charges. The abuse caused severe brain bleeding that left her brain-dead, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Empower College Prep honored Rebekah Baptiste with a ceremony and planted a tree in her memory. The school said it made 12 reports to the Arizona Department of Child Safety over four years, though Arizona Department of Child Safety disputed this. The Navajo County Sheriff’s Office reported that Rebekah and her siblings lived in “horrendous conditions” in a yurt in rural Apache County without reliable electricity or a shower, as stated by ABC15. Body camera footage showed the arrests of Richard Baptiste and Anicia Woods.
Anicia Woods told police that Rebekah had previously tried to escape and noted the seriousness of her disappearance before moving to Apache County, as per ABC15. A GoFundMe page for Rebekah says, "All are welcome to honor Rebekah's memory," allowing people to support her family, as mentioned by FOX 10 Phoenix.
