An American woman killed her children aged 1 and 2 and injured two others aged 5 and 8 as she tried to perform an exorcism, reported Montgomery County Police in Maryland.
According to Reuters, Zakieya L. Avery, 28, has been accused of two charges of first-degree murder and two attempted murders after the events which took place on Friday, Jan. 17, when a neighbor told the police of suspicious activity in the house.
A second woman, identified as Monifa Denise Sandford, 21, was also charged of murder for the death of the two minors. The police believe that Sandford has no relation with the family, but lived in the same building in Germantown and had helped Avery with the attempted exorcism.
Montgomery Police identified the deceased minors as Norell, 1 and Zyana Harris, 2, while the children aged five and eight remain in the hospital, reported CBS.
Tom Mangers, the Chief of Police of Montgomery County, told the press that "Cases like these are heartbreaking. Our best wishes go to the family and friends of the victims."
Although for the moment authorities have not identified why the two arrested women attempted to carry out the religious ritual on the minors, the police have started an investigation to determine the motive for the crimes.
"Investigators have discovered that the accused were performing an exorcism. The investigation is focused on this and other aspects of the crime that might be related are being studies," said Mangers, quoted by CNN.
According to neighbors interviewed by The Washington Post, the two women shared a room in Germantown and Zakieya had recently separated from her husband.