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The victims,
identified as Voncile Smith, 77, John William Smith, 49, and
Richard Thomas Smith, 47, were found dead on Friday, three days
after police believe someone the family knew entered the home
and killed them as part of a witchcraft ritual.
"The elements of this case are odd, at best," Escambia County
Sheriff David Morgan told a news conference.
"We have a very reclusive family. Obviously we've canvassed the
neighborhood, spoken to people who've lived there for years and
years. Neighbors have related to us that they've never met
members of this family," he said.
All three victims had their throats slit and were bludgeoned
with what was believed to be a claw hammer, Morgan said, and
Richard Thomas Smith, a Department of Homeland Security
employee, was also shot in the head, perhaps to incapacitate him
before the murders.
“Initial research has led us to believe it was a ritualistic
killing,” Morgan said. “The method of the murder ... and our
person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is
indicative of that."
The crime appears to have been part of a witchcraft practice
linked to the July 31 "blue moon," a reference to the second of
two full moons that appear in a calendar month, Morgan said.
Police discovered the bodies after a colleague of Richard Thomas
Smith at Homeland Security reported him missing from work.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Los Angeles; Editing by Alan
Raybould)
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