The victims, two of whom
were age 10, were killed and their blood was offered at an altar to the
saint, according to Jose Larrinaga, spokesman for state prosecutors. The
accused were asking the saint, who is generally portrayed as a skeleton
dressed in a long robe and carrying a scythe, for protection, he said.
Santa Muerte is a
favorite among criminals and the country's drug traffickers. The saint,
though not recognized by the Catholic Church, has taken off in
popularity in recent years.
Details of the case were laid out in a statement from the Sonora State Investigative Police (PEI), which described the cult as a "Satanic sect."
The first of the three
victims was allegedly killed in 2009; the last this month. Their bodies
were found in the small mining community of Nacozari de Garcia, some 155
miles (250 kilometers) north of Hermosillo, the state capital.
Many of the accused
belong to the same family and one is just 15 years old, the PEI said.
Authorities said they began looking into the case when one of the
victim's families reported him missing.
"Nothing like this has
ever happened before in the state of Sonora. And it's not something
we're going to allow," said Guillermo Padres Elias, state governor.
From CNN News
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