Arizona boy dead after man attempted exorcism to get 'demon' out of him, officials say

https://news.yahoo.com/arizona-boy-dead-man-performed-194252143.html

Molly Duerig, Arizona Republic
,USA TODAY•October 1, 2019

A 6-year-old boy who lived on the Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation near Tucson is dead after a man tried to exorcise a demon from him Thursday, according to a federal complaint.

The man, Pablo Martinez, was arrested and is in custody.

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Romelia Martinez told police that Pablo Martinez had offered to bathe the boy and another child in the home, whom police did not identify. At some point during the bath, that other child left the room crying, according to the criminal complaint.

When the boy's mother heard a gurgling sound in the bathroom, she came by and found the bathroom door locked. She unlocked it and went inside to find Pablo Martinez holding her son under the running faucet of hot water.

Romelia Martinez said she screamed at him to stop, but he responded that “he had to do it.” She called a pastor, who didn’t answer; she then called 911. She said Pablo Martinez tried to perform CPR on the boy and poured cold water on him.

Pablo Martinez estimated that the boy had been underwater for between five and 10 minutes, according to the criminal complaint.

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tags: child abuse