At a time when the world is progressing at an amazing pace and making advancements in various fields, there are some incidents and people that make it look like we are still in a world that is superstitious and backward. In an incident that makes one's blood boil, a five-year-old girl was tied down and burnt by two sisters as part of a voodoo ritual.
The women -- Peggy LaBossiere, 51, and Rachel Hilaire, 40 -- had reportedly been asked to carry out the ritual by the girl's mother, who is a hairstylist and LaBossiere is her client.
The ritual, which was meant to rid the little one of demons that were causing her to misbehave, has now left her permanently disfigured. Not just that, the two women are also said to have threatened to cut off the girl's brother's head with a machete, reported the Enterprise.
The boy also revealed to the police that the five-year-old had been tied down before as well when the two sisters blew fire on the little one's face and even cut her on the arm and collarbone. The police were also told that the women drew blood from the girl's body.
"The victim stated that Peggy (LaBossiere) would lean over her and kiss all around her face like a snake and used a pointy object like a needle to cut her on her arm and collar area," the report stated. "(LaBossiere) cut her enough so that she bled."
The little one has sustained third-degree burns. She was treated in a hospital and handed over to state welfare authorities, along with her brother. The children's mother too is being treated for mental issues. The mother also told the police that she believed voodoo would help her children.
"(The mother) stated that her children have been behaving badly due to evil spirits and that they perform prayers, and use certain water and oils to make the demon leave," the Enterprise quoted East Bridgewater Police Detective John Grillo as saying
Meanwhile, LaBossiere and Hilaire have denied burning and injuring the girl and threatening the boy and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The duo said that they do not practise voodoo and instead performed "cleansing baths" for family and friends.
They told the police that these baths comprise chanting prayers and rubbing oils and sea salt on the bodies to rid people of demons. They explained that children sometimes sustain these burns when the spirits leave their bodies.
