California child who died was subject to exorcism

A 3-year-old girl whose death last fall has been ruled a homicide was the subject of an alleged exorcism last year at a Northern California church, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

The child, Arely Naomi Proctor, died last September after family members performed a ceremony to “liberate her of her evil spirits,” church officials told the San Jose Mercury News. The Santa Clara County medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide caused by asphyxiation.

The girl’s mother, Claudia Hernandez, was charged with assault on a child resulting in death. The Associated Press could not immediately determine whether Hernandez has an attorney.

Details of the case were not made public at the time but the newspaper reported on it amid new scrutiny on the Iglesia Apostoles y Profetas, a tiny Pentecostal church in San Jose, following the recent kidnapping of a 3-month-old baby that led police to search the church.