7. The Santa Muerte Cult
Santa Muerte, or Saint Death, is a folk saint in Mexican culture. She is the personification of death and helps people on their journey into the afterlife. She is often depicted as a skeleton in a gown and is used to remind people of their mortality. Most worshipers offer candy, cigarettes, and incense to her statue. But one small cult in Sonora Province took things a bit further.
It all started with the disappearance of 10-year-old Martin Rios in July 2010, followed by the disappearance of 10-year-old Jesus Martinez in March 2011. Both boys were known to frequent the house of Jesus’s step-grandmother, Silvia Meraz. Police were already suspicious of Meraz because of the parade of people visiting her house—they thought she might be running a brothel. When a 55-year-old woman disappeared, the police finally decided to search the property.
Once inside, the police quickly discovered the bodies of the two missing boys, one under the floorboards and the other buried in the yard. Police also learned that the body of the 55-year-old was buried in a different location. All three had been murdered by a Santa Muerte cult led by the 44-year-old Meraz. Eight members of the cult, who were all relatives of Meraz, were arrested and charged with the murders. Once in police custody, some of the accused confessed. The murders took place at night, by candlelight. The victims’ wrists and throats were slashed on an altar. Their blood was drained and collected in bowls before being poured around the altar in a sacrifice to Saint Death.
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