Alaia's mother, Yesenia SassoA five month-old girl from Queens, New York died last weekend after suffering eight skull fractures her parents say were the result of a ritual intended to rid the girl of the curse of an evil eye.
The New York Daily News (NYDN) is reporting on the case involving tiny Alaia Baque who was declared dead at Elmhust Hospital Center on July 30. Autopsy results determined that her death was a homicide and her parents are being investigated for the crime.
Her injuries were caused by “abusive head trauma,” said Julie Bolcer, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner, to the NYDN. The injuries are consistent with being stomped on or hit with a blunt object.
Tests also showed hemorrhaging in one of Alaia’s eyes, suggesting that she had been shaken several days prior to the skull fractures.
The baby’s mother, Yesenia Sasso, 38, denied hitting Alaia, and reportedly told detectives the baby’s father was upset with the child because she constantly cried around him, leading him to believe she was rejecting him. Because she was always crying and in distress, they became convinced that she had the “evil eye” which is a spell cast by looking at someone with the intention of causing them harm.
The great Rome exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, confirms the existence of these spells which produce effects ranging from incessant yawning to grave misfortune and even death. As a result, a whole industry thrives on producing talismans and other superstitious practices designed to counter the spell.
In the Sassos’ case, they rolled a raw egg – in its shell – on the baby’s skin and when they cracked it open, it was found to be “bad.” This is when they decided Alaia needed “special help.”
Yesenia and the baby’s grandmother, Marta Sasso, took the baby to a priestess in Elmhurst who sources say swaddled the girl, massaged her, and rolled her around on the floor.
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the baby’s horrific injuries.
Even though Alaia’s parents have not yet been charged, their older son was taken into custody by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services.
