Young woman dies after entering a church while possessed by demon

Santa Cruz: A young woman died after her parents allegedly performed an exorcism to get rid of the "demon" inside her.

The 22-year-old, named as Jaqueline Sanchez by media in Belize, Central America, died after she suffered a cardio respiratory arrest.

Local media also reported claims that her body had been "lifted" up in the air inside the church and she had spoken in a man's voice.

They also suggested she had to be forcibly held down as they performed the religious ritual.

Her parents allegedly believed she had been possessed by a demon after a number of unexplained illnesses in the months before her death.

She had been suffering from convulsions and hysteria which doctors at Plan Tres Mil hospital in Santa Cruz, could not diagnose.

This led her parents to believe she had been "taken over" by spirits, after reports that she had played with a Ouija board.

She died after she failed to breathe after the apparent exorcism, which took place at the Pentecostal Church of San Ignacio de Velasco.

The Special Force to Fight Crime Santa Cruz (FELCC) are investigating her death.

They confirmed she died of natural causes and said that cuts and bruises on her body was due to a "trance".

FELCC spokesman Roger Gutiérrez said: "The forensic report realizes that this girl, identified as Jaqueline Sanchez, died of natural causes due to a cardiac arrest, and the bruises and lacerations to her body (were) due to a trance that he was suffering."