According to the St. Lucie County sheriff, the mother of a 6-year-old kid who was found dead in his Florida home on Friday and has been charged with the child’s murder thought she was being instructed to “exorcise demons out of the child’s body.”
Shortly after 10 a.m., school resource deputies asked for a welfare check, and they discovered Ra’myl Pierre’s body in his bed inside the family’s Fort Pierce home, according to Sheriff Richard R. Del Toro Jr.
According to Toro, his mother, 31-year-old Rhonda Paulynice, was charged on Friday with second-degree murder, failing to report a death, and corpse alteration.
“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,” he stated. “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.”
According to Toro, Paulynice met the sheriff’s deputy in the driveway when he arrived at the house and led him inside, where the deceased youngster was discovered on a bed in his bedroom.
According to Toro, an autopsy will be conducted because the reason and manner of death could not be immediately ascertained.
According to Toro, the sheriff’s office has previously responded to the residence, but not in relation to the mother and child. The day before investigators think the crime occurred, on May 17, they last answered a call regarding the mother’s physical condition, he added.
According to Toro, there had previously been some domestic problems at the house between the mother and her sister, who is no longer residing there, but nothing concerning the child.
Sheriff’s detectives interrogated the mother on Friday, according to Toro.
“During the course of the interviews, our detectives learned that the mother last spoke to the child on May 18th,” he stated. “That’s when we believe the homicide occurred, and that she was responsible for child’s death.”
Online court records on Friday night did not include the second-degree murder case, and it was unclear at the time whether Paulynice had a lawyer who could represent her.
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At a news conference on Friday, Toro informed reporters that although he has not spoken to Paulynice, he has been informed that she displayed a variety of emotions while interacting with investigators at the site.
“What we do know is that she had a lot of highs and lows during the investigation — from laughing at different times at the scene to crying,” he stated.
According to Toro, investigators think the boy has been deceased in his room since May 18, but the autopsy should shed additional light on the matter.
He added that Paulynice and the boy were the only residents of the house.
