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A youtuber whose daughter died in an alleged exorcism said that the tragedy “is what it is” in a chilling video about the incident.
Three-year-old Arely Naomi Proctor died in September of last year and her mother, Claudia Hernández, is accused of squeezing her neck and depriving her of food.
Her grandfather, who allegedly performed the exorcism at a church in San Jose, California, described the ritual as an attempt to “liberate” the little girl from evil spirits , reported the Mercury News.
He described the death of the girl as the “Will of God”. It is not known why the so-called exorcism took place.
Arely’s grandfather and uncle are accused of holding the girl down, which could have caused her death by suffocation, but have not been charged.
Hernández was arrested and charged with felony assault on the girl resulting in her death in January, months after the alleged exorcism occurred.
Days before she was arrested, she told followers of her YouTube channel: “I could sit here and be negative… being sad about the whole situation he passed away.
“But it’s like, it doesn’t make sense because it is what it is. There are many reasons why God took her. What if something had happened to her, if she had had an illness?
“It is what it is. I have to be positive about the situation. You know, like at least she wasn’t suffering.
“That’s why I’m thankful, that she’s not going to grow up in that world, like in that world we live in”.
Court records show Hernandez told police he believed his daughter was possessed on 23 September.
She believed that Arely was being “possessed by a demon”, according to the sworn statement as seen by the Daily Beast.
Arely “was periodically waking up and screaming,” the legal documents say.
Hernández and his brother met that night and began to pray for Arely while the girl was supposedly deprived of food.
Court documents revealed that Arely was taken to the Evangelical Apostles and Prophets Church on 24 September before the alleged exorcism began.
Hernandez reportedly told officers that he tried to stick his finger down his daughter’s throat.
Supposedly he also squeezed Arely’s neck before the girl
The affidavit stated: “The victim fell several times when (Hernandez) pushed his hand down her throat.”
Court documents reveal that Hernandez told officers that he held his daughter around her neck to help her get rid of the spirit.
She believed that Arely died around 12 hours after they first arrived once to church.
Court documents state: “The victim last ate on Thursday 23 September around 9: 00 pm
“The victim was only provided about 6 ounces of water from Thursday until the time of his death.”
Arely’s grandfather told the Mercury News that he believed she died from the so-called exorcism.
He said, “’If you read the Bible, you’ll see that Jesus cast out the demons and heal the sick again”.
The doctors discovered Arely lying on the ground and the investigators affirmed that “there was no there was no effort” to resuscitate her.
The police revealed that Arely had suffered bruises around her eyes, neck, throat and chest.
Arely’s cause of death was ruled homicide by asphyxiation.
The church operated in the basement of the owner Santiago García, who was or “shocked” when the police invaded the area, unaware that an alleged exorcism was taking place.
Told Mercury News: “Grandpa told me they were praying and they think as you pray, the Holy Spirit will come and save you. “The mom said that she was trying to squeeze her body to get the demons out. I can’t believe she did that. It is very horrible. Very, very horrible.”