The unsettling 911 call related to the case of 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste, who tragically died last month, has been made public.
Rebekah passed away on July 30, three days after being discovered unresponsive at the intersection of two highways in Holbrook, Arizona.
When police found her, she was suffering from dehydration and malnutrition; prosecutors also noted that her toenails were missing at the time she was found.
Richard Baptiste, Rebekah’s father, aged 32, and his 29-year-old girlfriend, Anicia Woods, have been taken into custody in connection with her death.
According to court documents referenced by People, the Apache County Sheriff’s Office has charged the Arizona couple with first-degree murder and child abuse.
In the 911 call made on July 27, an unidentified woman did not sound emotionally distressed as she described Rebekah’s condition to the call dispatcher.
“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 stated during the call, according to Fox 10.
The woman on the call claimed that she was performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on Rebekah while they were en route 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 continued.
“But when the neighbor found her, said that she was just almost gasping.”
She elaborated further: “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 if she was familiar with CPR, the woman replied: “Yes, I do, unfortunately.”
The call ended as the sound of sirens, presumably from an ambulance, could be heard approaching.
Prosecutors allege that the child was ‘tortured’ and claim there are indications that Rebekah had been physically and sexually abused.
Damon Hawkins, Rebekah’s uncle, spoke to AZ Family shortly after his niece’s death, reporting that she was ‘black and blue from her head to toe’ and had two black eyes when found on July 27.
“She had two black eyes, and they’re thinking the cause of death was because of a hemorrhage,” Hawkins added.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS) told AZ Family that they are ‘actively collaborating with law enforcement in a joint investigation to ensure that the people responsible for this heinous act are brought to justice.’
For those affected by similar issues or seeking confidential support regarding child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD / 1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7 and receives calls from across the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.