Dora Alicia Tejada Pleitez has been charged in the death of her daughter, 3 year-old Nicole Garcia, as she admitted to pushing a rose, and then her fist, into the child’s throat in an effort to exorcise demons, as reported by Boston.com
Per court records, Tejada Pleitez told both her pastor and hospital officials that she did as God instructed her to do to rid her child of demons.
At one point Tejada Pleitez told her pastor that when she realized that she was no longer pushing a rose into her daughter’s mouth – the object had somehow become her fist – “the devil” bit her hand through the use of her daughter’s teeth.
Nicole Garcia was pronounced dead at 1:18 p.m. Monday March 14 at Nantucket Cottage Hospital. The child had been collected from the home less than an hour before.
Tejada Pleitez was charged with murder on Tuesday March 15 in the Nantucket District Court.
Tejada Pleitez will return to court on Monday and has been ordered held without bail until then. A hearing will commence to determine whether she is competent and can understand the charge.
Police discovered pink roses, and their petals, strewn on the floor of the family’s living room.
No other signs of physical abuse were found on the child at the hospital, while Tejada Pleitez’s hand had a bite demarcation.
A spokeswoman for the Cape and Islands district attorney would not discuss the child’s autopsy results, and it is still unclear what caused her death.
This is the first homicide to occur in the island in two years.
In her account to authorities, Tejada Pleitez at first claimed that she and Nicole had been sleeping together on a couch. She recalled the two slipped to the floor and then nothing else until people came to take Nicole away.
She had another child, Luis, that was also at her side but had remained unharmed.
Tejada Pleitez alleged that her sister-in-law, Deonila Tema, had given candy to both of her children. But the sister-in-law herself claimed that Tejada Pleitez was acting very strange, and, that the candy incident never occurred.
Per court records, Tema said that Tejada Pleitez had asked her to pray for her while she herself was “asking for mercy for her and her children.”
It was at this point, and in alarm, Tema left the home to phone her husband – and Tejada Pleitez’s brother – Amilear Tejada, and ask him to leave work and come home. While he made his way he telephoned his sister.
During the phone call Tejada Pleitez further raised the alarm by telling her brother that their shared sister, Maria Elena, was home with her and her children.
The sister that Tejada Pleitez mentioned, Maria Elena, is deceased. Amilear Tejada told police that Tejada Pleitez has told many people that she has a gift from “God that allowed her to see people that passed away.”
Once he reached the home, Amilear Tejada found his sister holding onto her unresponsive child. He tried to pry Nicole from Tejada Pleitez’s grip.
With aid from other family members, including Nicole’s own father, the were able to free her.
They then attempted to perform CPR, but were unsuccessful.
The state Department of Children and Families has no history with the family, per their spokeswoman. Tejada Pleitez’s young son has been remanded to his father’s custody.
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