A 25-year-old woman was charged by the Santa Clara County Prosecutor’s Office in the state of California for the death of her three-year-old daughter in what authorities describe as a “disturbing exorcism ritual” that took place in a small church in the city of San José.
Prosecutor Rebekah Wise highlighted in the case documents that the young woman thought her little girl was possessed by a demon, so she decided to take her to the temple to pray with her.
According to The Hill portal, the woman told the authorities that her daughter got up regularly at night and began to scream and cry.
Although the events occurred in September of last year, it was not until February that the accused, identified as Claudia Elisa Hernandez, was accused of assaulting a minor and causing serious bodily harm, for which she is under investigation while the investigation is being carried out. legal proceedings against him.
The Santa Clara Public Ministry maintains that the mother strangled the minor in a ceremony in which one of her uncles and the victim’s grandfather, who is the leader of the religious congregation and claims to be a certified pastor, was also present.
According to the documents related to the case, on the morning of September 24, the defendant and her little girl’s uncle took her to the church, where she was restrained by the torso, legs and neck for several hours. During the ritual they also forced the little girl to vomit.
The minor lost consciousness and suffered “multiple injuries in the area of her eyes, face, neck and chest,” detailed the Prosecutor’s Office.
After 12 exhausting hours, the girl passed away.
Those present waited about two hours to call the emergency services and assured the paramedics that they had found the lifeless body of the minor on the floor of the church.
An autopsy ruled the death a homicide due to suffocation.
The Public Ministry urged the magistrate to deny the young woman bail due to the risk that she would try to leave the United States and travel to her country of origin, El Salvador.
It should be noted that the church in which the little girl died was involved in the kidnapping of a three-month-old baby in California reported during the month of April since the person implicated in the crime is a member of the congregation.
