3-year-old dies after church leaders try to exorcise ‘evil spirits’ from her, CA cops say
Update: The child’s grandfather and uncle were arrested and charged with child abuse on May 11, according to the San Jose Police Department.
Original story:
Leaders at a California church said they conducted a ritual to remove “evil spirits” from a 3-year-old girl who later died, according to local media reports.
The church, Iglesia Evangelicas Apostoles y Profetas, operates out of the back room of a house in San Jose, KTVU reported.
Court documents said that the parents thought their child was possessed because “the victim would wake up and scream or cry periodically,” KTVU reported.
After praying for the child overnight, the girl’s mother and uncle drove her to the church, where they were joined by her grandfather, a leader in the congregation, NBC Bay Area reported. The three adults held the child by her legs, waist and neck and triggered her to vomit, saying that it would “get the spirit out,” the outlet reported.
The child’s mother told investigators that she repeatedly stuck her hand down the child’s throat, according to NBC Bay Area.
The ceremony went on for about 12 hours, leaving the girl with injuries around her eyes, face, neck and chest, KTVU reported.
The girl’s throat was also squeezed during the ceremony, The Mercury News reported.
On the night of Sept. 24, police received a call from the mother, whose daughter was lying lifeless on the ground, NBC Bay Area reported.
Police said that, after the child died, the adults did not immediately perform medical assistance or call 911, according to KTVU.
The girl’s death by asphyxiation was ruled a homicide, and her mother was charged with assault on a child resulting in death, The Mercury News reported. The child’s grandfather and uncle have not been charged in the girl’s death, according to the outlet.
The child’s grandfather told The Mercury News that he felt a lot of pain about his granddaughter’s death, but that “it’s the stuff of God, and everything is in the will of God no matter how small or big.”
The San Jose Police Department said the investigation is ongoing and declined further comment. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately reply to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
Another member of the same church recently made headlines after he was accused of kidnapping a 3-month-old baby, Brandon Cuellar. The man who kidnapped Brandon said he met his grandmother at church and became “obsessed” with the baby afterward, KTVU reported.
The man and another woman who police say helped him were charged with kidnapping, the Associated Press reported.
Members of the church said they were surprised to find out the kidnapper was in their congregation, The Mercury News reported.
This story was originally published May 10, 2022 at 7:20 PM with the headline "3-year-old dies after church leaders try to exorcise ‘evil spirits’ from her, CA cops say."