Six-year-old found dead after possible exorcism
( 2004-01-20 11:13) (Agencies)
A 6-year-old girl was found dead in a motel room with a broken back Monday after what police said may have been an exorcism.
Two adults were arrested after they and two children were spotted on the street naked in the freezing cold.
The adults, who had been staying in the motel room, were charged with cruelty to children, public indecency and obstruction of police and were taken to a psychiatric ward.
Police said the girl had been brutalized and suffered a broken back and other broken bones. An autopsy was planned.
Based on what the adults told authorities, investigators believe "they were involved possibly in a ritual of some sort," police spokesman John Quigley said. "It may have had something to do with undemonizing the child in some manner."
Police learned of the death around 12:30 a.m. when the unidentified man and woman were seen walking naked down a city street with two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, Quigley said.
The 7-year-old provided investigators with information that led them to the motel, where they found the girl's body. The two adults had apparently been living there for some time, possibly through assistance from a church, Quigley said.
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