SAN JOSE, Calif. — The grandfather and uncle of a 3-year-old girl killed last fall during an exorcism at a Northern California church were arrested this week in connection with her death, police said Friday.
The child, Arely Naomi Proctor, died last September after family members performed a ceremony because they believed she was "possessed by an evil spirit," court documents show. The Santa Clara County medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide caused by asphyxiation.
Police on Wednesday arrested Rene Trigueros-Hernandez, the child's grandfather and pastor of the Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, a tiny Pentecostal church in San Jose, and Rene Hernandez-Santos, the child's uncle. They were arrested on charges of child abuse leading to the death of the victim, the San Jose Police Department said in a statement.
