Upon arrival, Paulynice, 41, was in the driveway. She proceeded to escort the deputy into the home, where the child was “discovered deceased, lying on his bed,” Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in a press conference.
Investigators believe the child died on May 18, but an autopsy will provide more information, Del Toro said. Due to the amount of time his body was left on the bed, medical examiners could not determine the manner of death at the scene.
May 18 was also the last day that Paulynice spoke to her son, detectives learned.
According to Del Toro, Paulynice — who is the main suspect in the investigation — told detectives that she had attempted an exorcism on the 6-year-old, the exact details of which are not known.
“What we did learn in speaking with the mother is she believes she was being told by God to basically exorcise demons out of the child’s body,” the sheriff told reporters. “And when the child had stopped moving and basically passed away, at that point she felt that the child had been released from those demons, and was waiting for him to basically come back, at that time.”
