TEXAS
Norwalk Reflector
Aracely Meza claimed to perform miracles. The Balch Springs pastor said on her website and to her neighbors that God had helped her heal the sick, return movement to a paralyzed man and make her daughter grow instantly taller — one leg at a time.
But on March 22, Meza would later admit to police, her supposed supernatural powers failed. In a ceremony, Meza tried unsuccessfully to resurrect a 2-year-old boy who died after she ordered food withheld from him for 25 days until he looked like an “alien” because he “had demons,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The boy and his parents were among eight adults and six children who authorities said lived in Meza’s home-based church, Iglesia Internacional Jesus es el Rey located in Balch Springs.
Five children, ages one to 13, from “several families,” were moved from the home into foster care following Meza’s arrest, Texas Child Protective Services spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said Wednesday.
The agency was not previously involved with the household and is assisting in the search for the boy’s body and the parents, Gonzales said.
The dead boy’s parents wrapped him in a blanket and took him to Mexico for burial, church members who lived in the house told police. On Wednesday, local police and Mexican authorities continued searching for the boy’s body and his parents.
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