Women Allegedly Burned 5-Year-Old in Voodoo Ritual to ‘Rid Her of a Demon’

Two women in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts are being held on charges of torturing and disfiguring a 5-year-old girl and threatening her 8-year-old brother as part of a ritual to cast the “demons” out of the unruly children.

Area police say that Peggy LaBossiere, 51, and Rachel Hilaire, 40, who are sisters, were asked to perform the “voodoo ritual” by the mother of the two children. The unnamed mother is a hairdresser, and LaBossiere was her client, according to a report by The Brockton Enterprise.

The children were held in the sisters’ apartment in East Bridgewater for five days, according to The Boston Globe. The girl was tied down and cut with a needle-like object on the arm and collarbone several times. The sisters also reportedly blew fire into her face, permanently disfiguring her, and poured a fluid over her eyes that caused a burning sensation. According to the Globe‘s report, the girl’s mother helped restrain her for the ritual, though it’s unclear if she faces criminal charges.

The 8-year-old boy told police that the sisters threatened to cut off his head with a machete.

LaBossiere and Hilaire told authorities they were freely practicing their religion — which is Haitian Voodoo.

East Bridgewater Police discovered the children after receiving a call in mid-January, requesting a welfare check on the the kids and their mother.

The sisters were first arrested on Jan. 26. They were charged with mayhem, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a child with injury, indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 and threatening to commit a crime. They pleaded not guilty to all charges.

LaBossiere and Hilaire appeared back in court on Thursday to assess how dangerous they are. The hearing will continue.

The sisters are being held on $50,000 bail each.

The case caught the attention of some Haitian Voodoo groups and anthropological experts, who say that the actions described in these police reports does not reflect the religion as a whole. Haitian Voodoo, rooted in the African diaspora, does not condone violence of any kind.