A California father and son are in custody on suspicion of kidnapping the man's ex-wife to perform an exorcism after she began to act in a way they thought was strange.
San Joaquin County Sheriff's officials say 42-year-old Jose Magana-Farias and his son, 20-year-old Victor Farias, thought the woman was possessed because of her alleged drastic behavioral changes, according to Fox40 News.
The plan was simple for Magana-Farias. He asked his ex-wife to meet at a Wal-Mart in north Stockton on Saturday under the pretense of trying to make the marriage work, San Joaquin sheriff's Lt. Mike Jones told KCRA-TV. The couple had reportedly divorced about a year ago.
Things quickly turned from a friendly encounter into something quite surreal. The father and son picked up two priests before taking her to a second location against her will. According to the report, the father and son believed she was demon possessed and it was the only way to explain her recent strange behavior. No mention was made as to what exactly these recent behavioral changes were.
According to a sheriff's report, the woman was doused with sacred oil during the ceremonial exorcism as the priests sought to lure out the evil "demons" from the Victoria Farias. She was later found unharmed and has pressed charges against her ex-husband and son.
"He's a real nice guy. He works every day - six days a week.... [You] just don't expect something like that," the neighbor told Fox 40.
The father and son are scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. In addition to kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, Magana-Farias was also jailed on a detainment order from the U.S. Border Patrol.
No mention was made on whether the exorcism was successful or not.
