Mother, uncle, grandfather arrested in San Jose toddler death during exorcism

SAN JOSE — The mother, uncle and grandfather of a three-year-old girl were charged with child abuse leading to her death at a makeshift church in San Jose last year, police said Friday.

Officers responded on September 24 at about 8:12 p.m to the 1000 block of South 2nd Street to a report of a child’s death at a home that housed a church on the property, San Jose police said. They found the victim unresponsive on the floor of the church and began life-saving measures. The girl was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.

An investigation by the police department’s homicide unit and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office determined three suspects responsible for the girl’s death. There were identified as the girl’s mother, Claudia Hernandez-Santos, uncle Rene Aaron Hernandez-Santos, and grandfather Rene Trigueros Hernandez.

During the initial investigation at the scene, officers were told by the suspects that they believed the child was possessed by a demon. According to an SJPD statement of facts, the mother told officers she attempted to stick a finger down the girl’s throat to induce vomiting, and said the girl fell asleep several times while she pushed down on her throat with her hand.

The statement of facts also said the girl’s uncle and grandfather held down the girl while the mother tried to repeatedly induce vomiting which they believed would rid her of the evil spirits. The three also took turns in holding her down and trying to get her to vomit, the statement said.

Police said after the girl died around 6 p.m., nearly two hours passed before the mother called 911 at the urging of other family members. Her death was later determined to be a homicide with a cause of death of asphyxia due to suffocation due to mechanical asphyxia and smothering.

Claudia Hernandez-Santos was arrested on January 31 and formally charged with child abuse leading to the death of her daughter. The arrest came four days after she posted a 45-minute video on YouTube discussing a number of topics related to her daughter but avoided talking about the circumstances of her death, at one point saying, “It is what it is.”

“People could talk, but at the end of the day, I know what happened,” says Hernandez-Santos in the video. “God knows what happened, and the people that were there when she passed away knows what happened.”

On January 31, 2022, suspect Claudia Hernandez-Santos, was arrested and formally charged with child abuse leading to the death of the victim.

On May 11, officers arrested the girl’s uncle Rene Aaron Hernandez-Santos and grandfather Rene Trigueros Hernandez, also on charges of child abuse leading to the death of the victim. Trigueros Hernandez identified himself to police as the leader of the church and a certified pastor. 

People with information about this case or similar incidents involving this suspect were urged to contact Detective Sergeant Vallejo #3810 or Detective Harrington #4365 of the Homicide Unit with any information about this incident at (408) 277-4166 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].