They chopped animals’ heads off to ‘cleanse’ their son’s schizophrenic thoughts, police say

A Florida family will not face criminal charges after they beheaded and sacrificed nine animals as part of a ritual intended to cure one family member with mental health issues of his schizophrenic thoughts, police announced.

In DeBary, Florida, last Thursday, a woman riding a bicycle found the bodies of several decapitated animals in a recycling bin near the road. She alerted the Volusia County Police Department, who investigated the incident, according to WESH.

Deputies later discovered that one of the men living at the house was on probation, and that his probation officer had been at the family’s home the night before when she saw blood on his head, per NWF Daily News.

The probation officer told investigators she witnessed members of the family gathered in a circle around the carcasses of nine animals — a goat, a turtle, two pigeons and five chickens, per WFTV.

Deputies later said the killing of the animals was part of a “cleansing ritual” organized by the family to rid their son of schizophrenic thoughts he had been having, according to WKMG. The son has reportedly had a history of mental health issues.

According to WESH, investigators later determined that none of the animals had been tortured and no crime had been committed. In Florida, animal cruelty laws prevent owners from killing any domestic pets on their own or from slaughtering livestock in an inhumane manner.

According to NWF Daily News, however, this is not the first time the man has been accused of killing animals. In April 2016, he engaged in an eight-hour standoff with police after he hanged his mother’s dog and threatened to hang himself. He was later sentenced to five years probation.

This story was originally published May 25, 2017 at 5:15 PM with the headline "They chopped animals’ heads off to ‘cleanse’ their son’s schizophrenic thoughts, police say."