6-Year­-Old Boy Dies After Father Holds Him Under Hot Water To ‘Cast Demon Out’

A six-year-old boy died as his father held him under a hot water faucet to "cast demon out" of him as a part of an exorcism. The incident took place in Tucson, Arizona.

Police responded to a home Thursday after receiving a report of a child with burns. The responding officers confronted 31-year-old Pablo Martinez and his wife, Romelina, the child’s adoptive mother, who said, “He can tell you,” pointing toward Pablo. The officers entered the house to find the boy naked, tucked into bed and breathless. He was immediately rushed to Banner-University Medical Center in an ambulance. The doctors assessed the injuries and determined that there were 15 percent burns on the child’s entire body. The mainly affected parts were forearm, elbows, and head. The boy was declared dead at the hospital later that day.

Romelina reported to the cops that she had heard gurgling noises coming from the bathroom but couldn’t do anything as it was locked. She managed to unlock it after a while and called 911 after seeing the child in the situation. She also added that she saw Pablo try to revive the child with cold water and CPR.

Pablo initially told the officers that they were “not in the right mindset” to understand the situation but caved on further questioning. Pablo told the investigators that he noticed the boy had a "demon inside of him" and that he wanted to "cast the demon out" to save him. Pablo added that he held his son's head under the hot water faucet for five to 10 minutes.

Following the confession, he was detained by the U.S. Marshal’s Office for first-degree murder. The FBI and Enrollment Department co-operated to determine that Romelina was a part of the Pascua-Yaqui tribe whereas Pablo Martinez was not.