SAN JOSE, Calif. (Washington Insider Magazine) – Authorities confirmed Friday that the uncle and grandfather of a 3-year-old girl murdered in an exorcism at a Northern California church last fall were arrested this week in association with her death.
According to court filings, the girl, Arely Naomi Proctor, died in September when members of the family performed a ritual because they felt she was possessed by an evil spirit. According to ABC NEWS, the death was judged a homicide due to asphyxiation by the Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office.
Rene Hernandez-Santos, the kid’s uncle, and Rene Trigueros-Hernández, the kid’s grandfather and pastor of the Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, a small Pentecostal church in San Jose, were arrested on Wednesday. According to the San Jose Police Department, they were detained on child abuse allegations that resulted in the victim’s death.
Claudia Hernandez-Santos, the girl’s mother, was arrested for assault on a child leading to death in January.
It was unclear whether the kid’s uncle and grandfather have appointed a counsel to represent them. The public defender’s office in Santa Clara, which is defending Claudia Henandez-Santos, did not respond to questions from The Associated Press on Friday.
Claudia Hernandez-Santos told investigators she thought her child was possessed since she would “wake up and cry or scream periodically,” according to court documents. On September 24, she along with her brother took the girl to the church, where their father joined them to execute an exorcism.
According to court records, Claudia Hernandez-Santos told authorities she tried to force vomiting down her daughter’s throat with her finger and that the girl fell asleep many times as she pushed down in her throat with her hand.
The girl’s mother is charged with depriving the child of food and of gripping her throat as her uncle and grandfather pinned her down.
According to documents, Claudia Hernandez-Santos told officers that she waited 2 hours after her child became unresponsive before calling 911.
Last week, the girl’s grandfather said he conducted a ritual on her to “liberate her of her evil spirits.” He wouldn’t go into detail about the exorcism, but stated his granddaughter was sound asleep when she arrived at the church and that the ritual lasted 2 hours.
