Florida Woman Performs 'Exorcism' On Sick Child To Get Rid Of 'Suicidal Demon'; Arrested

A woman in Florida allegedly tried to purge a "suicidal demon" out of a child by performing some sort of "exorcism," officials said.

Hope Alexandra Sullivan, 33, of Seminole, was arrested and charged with child abuse for the incident.

Sullivan's roommate spoke to deputies about what she saw on the night of Oct. 21, the Charlotte Observer reported Tuesday.

The roommate said she stumbled upon Sullivan performing what she thought was an "exorcism" on the child at around 9 p.m., according to the arrest report from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Sullivan was on the phone with her sister "praying and talking" while the child was in the same room throwing up. As Sullivan's sister prayed on the phone, she reportedly encouraged the child to vomit during the so-called "exorcism."

The roommate left and returned after about 20 minutes to find the child having a "make shift 'noose' around her neck with [a] robe tie" to kill her, the arrest report revealed, according to WFLA News Channel 8.

The child said the woman on the phone was speaking in a different language and was trying to "get the 'suicidal demon' out of her," officials said

The victim eventually removed the "noose" from her neck after a while, deputies said.

"The child was scared and felt sick," the report added.

Although the victim was ill and had vomited, Sullivan told deputies that the puking was because of some bad lobster that the child consumed a day before the incident.

The accused was booked into the Pinellas County Jail and is facing one count of child abuse. She was released Sunday on a $10,000 bond.

In an unrelated incident reported in 2021, a 9-year-old girl was killed in Sri Lanka after a so-called ritual to drive evil spirits away. The self-proclaimed exorcist poured oil on the child's forehead and struck her repeatedly with a cane before she fell unconscious. The child was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The victim's mother and the woman who performed the ritual were arrested.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours a day.