Pastor Miles McPherson said the church had posted a statement about the investigation on its website and concluded his comments saying, “I appreciate your prayers, we appreciate your prayers, and it’s a difficult time.”
Rock Church’s statement reads in its entirety:
We are aware that arrests have been made as a result of the investigation by law enforcement concerning the death of Arabella McCormack. We are shocked by what happened and grieve over the death of Arabella, as well as the harm done to her sisters. It’s unimaginable what happened, and we are praying for healing for all of those involved.
The adoptive mother, Leticia, was previously a volunteer with Rock Church. In fact, she volunteered in a number of capacities in various organizations, including a law enforcement agency.
For the Rock, our church has numerous volunteers who serve in a variety of ministries. The church relies on these volunteers to fulfill its mission of helping others in service to God. As a volunteer, Leticia had a limited capacity and was mostly focused on administrative coordination. The Rock Church routinely runs background checks on all of our volunteers with the most recent for Leticia conducted on 10/25/21. Nothing was provided in the background check information we received that would indicate a red flag.
Leticia was not a part of our paid staff, was not a pastor and did not serve in any official pastoral role for the church. Her ordination as an elder was completed at another church and transferred to the Rock in January 2022. She is no longer affiliated with the church and her ordination was suspended at the beginning of the investigation and has now been officially revoked.
A tragedy like this will rightly inspire intense reflection and soul searching by anyone who had interaction with this family. Despite numerous background checks, despite involvement with law enforcement both as a volunteer as well as a member with her husband as a Border Patrol officer, despite government agencies and the courts authorizing adoption and monitoring the children, despite all of this, clearly evil was hidden from obvious view.
It’s shocking and frightening and a reminder that humans are inherently sinners. And sometimes, that sinful drive can lead to extreme behavior. We must remain ever vigilant and must continue to seek God’s love.
As the courts now act, we, like everyone else impacted by this, will hope for resolution and some sense of closure through this process.
In the meantime, we extend our deepest condolences to all that are grieving and continue to pray for understanding and healing. Should you need prayer during this time, please connect with one of our pastoral staff members.
