PATERSON, N.J. (WPIX)—
In what police are calling a dark and religious ritual, three people were arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child on Tuesday, allegedly cutting the girl and making her watch animal sacrifices.The three suspects - which included the girl's mother and two other individuals - were taken into custody following the execution of a search warrant at a home in Paterson, New Jersey.
Police entered the residence on 230 Pacific St. and found many religious articles. Authorities say they recovered such items as dolls, a shrine, religious statues, artifacts, bones, machetes and sticks with numbers and names on them. Police also said there was residue of blood and animal hair on some of the items.
The alleged victim's mother Yenitza Colichon, 31, of Jamesburg is charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and fourth-degree cruelty and neglect of a child. Her bail is set at $20,000.
The second suspect, Julio Cano, 30, of Paterson is charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child. His bail was set at $20,000.
The third suspect, Zahira Cano, of Paterson is charged with third-degree endangering the welfare of a child and released on recognizance.
Officials did not state what religious ritual was being followed nor the connections the Canos had to each other or to the victim, saying only that they were alleged participants in the ritual. The arrest complaints for both Julio and Zahira Cano list 230 Pacific St. - the same location where the search warrants were executed.
The search warrants were obtained following an investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Special Victims Unit, the Division of Youth and Family Services, Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office Child Abuse Unit, Paterson Police Department and Jamesburg Police Department.
