A man and a woman were arrested in connection with the death of a 10-year-old girl in late July in eastern Arizona, according to a news release from the Apache County Sheriff’s Office.
Anicia Woods, 29, and Richard Daniel Baptiste, 32, were arrested on suspicion of murder and child abuse after the unidentified girl was found unresponsive, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say that on July 27, the Holbrook Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive child at the intersection of State Route 77 and U.S. Route 180 in Holbrook.
Authorities found the child had received a “severe injury” and was taken to the Little Colorado Medical Center, about 30 minutes east, according to officials. The girl’s injury was not disclosed.
Officials say she was later flown to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, where she died July 30.
Following the execution of several search warrants, officials arrested Wood and Baptiste on suspicion of first-degree murder, kidnapping and three counts of child abuse, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Wood, Baptiste and the child who died all lived at a property in the rural community of Hunt, which is about 40 minutes southeast of where the original call for service was located, according to officials.
The Sheriff’s Office did not disclose the nature of the relationship between Wood and Baptiste.
Officials say Wood and Baptiste were held in an Apache County jail without bond.
The case remained under investigation. The Sheriff’s Office said they worked with other agencies to make the arrests, including the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, Holbrook Police Department, Phoenix Police Department and Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Rey Covarrubias Jr.
Arizona Republic