Arizona Boy Dead Following Attempted Exorcism by Father

A six-year-old boy was pronounced dead September 26th after authorities responded to a report of a child burn on the Pascua Yaqui reservation near Tucson, Arizona, reported local news sources.

According to court documents, the child's father, Pablo Martinez, told police officers that “his son was demonic and had a demon inside of him." He admitted to the officers that he had "poured hot water down" his son's throat to reportedly help "cast out the demon." Martinez's wife and his son's adopted mother, Romelia Martinez, told authorities that the child "had been acting demonic."

Martinez reportedly told police that "he saw something evil" in his son, and he needed to "cast the demon out." He claimed that the boy had an "unnatural fit of rage," and that he "noticed that the hot water was casting out the demon."

The child was a student of Lynn/Urquides Elementary School, and, according to school officials, had special needs.

When police performed a sweep of the house, the child was found lying in bed, naked and propped up on a pillow.

According to his adopted mother, his father had offered to give him and their other child a bath, but after noticing the other child leaving the bathroom crying, “she heard a gurgling sound coming from the bathroom.” She then allegedly observed her husband holding the six-year-old's head down under the bathtub faucet. When she told her husband to stop, he reportedly told her that "he had to do it."

Martinez would later tell police that they were “not in the right mind-set” to understand what had happened, prior to surrendering; although he admitted to police that he held his son's head under the water for about five to ten minutes.

After his wife called 911, Martinez attempted “to do cardio pulmonary resuscitation” and poured cold water on the child.

The child was wrapped in a towel and taken by ambulance to Banner-University Medical Center.

He had burns over 15% of his body, including to his forearms, elbows, and head. The six-year-old boy, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

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