From the archive: This story covers events from July 2025. FAN is adding past cases to its public record; the latest available update is under “Where it stands now.”
Phoenix, Arizona — The Arizona Department of Child Safety received at least 19 reports of abuse involving a 10-year-old girl over 18 months and never removed her from her home, according to a wrongful death lawsuit her mother filed against the state in July 2026. The girl was found severely beaten and unconscious near Holbrook on July 27, 2025, and died three days later at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Her father and his girlfriend are charged with murder, and their trial is now set for April 2027.
What the lawsuit alleges
The suit was filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, KTAR News reported. It alleges that teachers, school social workers, nurses, police and hospital staff warned DCS repeatedly, and that the department labeled reports “information only,” closed cases as unsubstantiated and left the girl and her brothers in the home.
The cases they buried, read out loud.
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According to AZFamily, the first report came in 2023 and the last about two months before her death, and most came from her teachers and school resource officers. KTAR reported the suit also alleges DCS returned her to the people she identified as her abusers even after she fled to a QuikTrip gas station for help and Phoenix Children’s Hospital reported suspected abuse.
This little girl shouldn’t have to ask for help 19 times.
Matt Boatman, attorney for the family, to KTAR News
DCS said in a statement to AZFamily that it “cannot comment on pending litigation.” The lawsuit’s claims have not been tested in court.
Where the system failed
Under the lawsuit’s account, the warnings did not fail to arrive. They arrived from almost every adult in the girl’s life who was required to report, and they were sorted into a category that triggered no investigation. KTAR News reported that her death was one of three high-profile killings of girls known to DCS in 2025, and a task force led by state Sen. Carine Werner developed five action items for the department and planned broader reforms for the 2026 legislative session.
Where it stands now
In June 2026, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a set of DCS bills, KJZZ reported. One, SB 1174, requires the department to compile a child’s full history into one report when there are prior hotline calls and to refer investigations involving repeated reports to a child safety specialist. KJZZ cited the girl’s case as an example of information scattered across multiple reports.
This bill helps ensure repeated concerns are recognized as a pattern
Sen. Carine Werner, in a statement reported by KJZZ
Other bills signed require mandated reporters to report abuse directly to DCS and require a forensic interview within 72 hours of a sexual abuse allegation.
In the criminal case in Apache County, a June 2026 trial date was vacated in May while the parties awaited the autopsy. On Aug. 17, 2026, the parties agreed to a six-week trial beginning April 20, 2027, ABC15 reported. Prosecutor Lacee Collins said an informal plea offer had been made to the father and that none would be extended to his girlfriend. Both face charges including first-degree murder and child abuse. FAN found no ruling in the civil suit as of Nov. 8, 2026.
A child protection agency exists to act on exactly this kind of record. When 19 reports produce no investigation, the failure is not a lack of information but a lack of accountability for what the agency did with it. FAN tracks how complaints against agencies are handled in its guide to filing a CPS complaint.
Key facts
- Agency: Arizona Department of Child Safety
- Lawsuit: wrongful death suit by the girl’s mother, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court in July 2026
- At least 19 abuse reports over 18 months, according to the suit; many were labeled “information only”
- The girl, 10, was found beaten near Holbrook on July 27, 2025, and died three days later
- Her father and his girlfriend are charged with first-degree murder and child abuse; trial set for April 20, 2027
- Gov. Katie Hobbs signed SB 1174 and other DCS bills in June 2026
Sources
- KTAR News — Wrongful death lawsuit alleges Arizona ignored 19 abuse reports before killing of 10-year-old (2026-07-29)
- AZFamily — Mother files wrongful death suit against DCS (2026-07-30)
- ABC15 — ‘Informal’ plea offer proposed, new trial dates set in murder case (2026-08-17)
- KJZZ — Hobbs signs slate of bills to improve child safety, reform DCS (2026-06-23)
- KTAR News — Trial date set for 2 accused in murder case (2025-11-03)
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