Boy dies in exorcism ritual; his mother hid the body for 12 days

A Florida mother was arrested after her six-year-old son was discovered dead in their home for nearly 12 days. The incident took place in Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, and has shocked both the local community and law enforcement.

The mother, known as Rhonda Joyce Paulynice , is charged with second-degree murder, failure to report a death, and tampering with physical evidence. According to authorities, the woman admitted to performing an alleged exorcism intended to "free her son from demons."

The St. Lucie County School District notified police after the boy, Ra'myl Pierre , was absent from school for several days. Officers went to the residence and, upon searching, found a severely decomposed body in one of the bedrooms.

According to the police report, the mother stated that during the ritual, the child stopped moving, and she thought he had been "freed." She chose not to report the death and kept the body in bed while she awaited his return.

During the interrogation, Paulynice displayed unusual behavior, alternating between laughter and tears. She declared that she had acted under divine inspiration and affirmed that her goal had never been to harm her son, but rather to "heal" him.

Authorities have not yet issued an official statement on the exact cause of death . However, the initial postmortem examination does not refute the mother's claims. Toxicology results and a detailed forensic report are expected in the coming days.

Rhonda Joyce Paulynice appeared before a magistrate and was denied bail. A trial date has not yet been set, but the prosecutor's office is relying on forensic evidence and recorded confessions to support the case.