After 10-Year-Old’s Death, Arizona Task Force to Overhaul Child Protection Laws

Arizona State Senator Carine Werner is launching a new task force aimed at strengthening child abuse reporting laws following the tragic death of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste.

The bipartisan group will include child welfare experts, prosecutors, law enforcement, and fellow lawmakers, tasked with taking a hard look at how Arizona handles child abuse reports. Their review will focus on gaps in existing law — including reporting requirements under A.R.S. § 8-455 — and whether protocols for joint investigations are strong enough to protect children at risk.

The effort was prompted by a meeting earlier this month between Werner and Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, where the two examined the questionnaire used by the Department of Child Safety during investigations. Werner said the tool failed to capture critical warning signs that community members often raise when reporting concerns.

Rebekah’s case has brought the issue into sharp focus. Between 2015 and 2025, the Department of Child Safety received more than a dozen reports about alleged abuse and neglect involving her family. The final report came in May, only weeks before Rebekah was found unresponsive near a wash in Holbrook on July 27. She died three days later. Her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Woods, now face first-degree murder and child abuse charges.

“Rebekah’s death is the most painful reminder that when red flags are raised, they must never be ignored,” Werner said. “If the laws and protocols are written in a way that prevents action when children are clearly in danger, then those laws and protocols must change.”

The task force will deliver recommendations to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety, which is scheduled to meet on September 3. That committee, which Werner also helps lead, is already reviewing child welfare oversight, including licensed group home standards and broader systemic failures.

Officials expect the task force to release its first report later this year, with reforms to be introduced during the 2026 legislative session.