Police investigates blue moon links to three deaths in ‘ritualistic killing’ in U.S.

Investigators found a woman and her two adult sons hammered to death with their throats slit, a possible ritualistic killing which a sheriff said could be linked to the recent blue moon. Escambia County Police in Florida said the three killings happened on July 28, and the suspect was likely practicing “witchcraft.”

The manner by which the victims were killed and positioned in the crime scene made police consider the possibility of a "ritualistic killing," Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said. The authorities have found the timing of the killings notable as it coincided with the occurrence of the blue moon in the past week.

In a report on Jezebel, the investigators said the victims were found a couple of days before Friday, July 31, the night the blue moon. They were hit multiple times to the head with a claw hammer and their throats were slit. The sheriff stated the person of interest has some ties to a faith or religion that is related to the “ritualistic killing.” The hints were in the method of murder, which was a blunt force trauma, and the positioning of the bodies.

Although the sheriff didn't fully specify how the homicide links to the lunar event, "the elements of the case are odd at best," he stated. Also, the authorities haven't released the identity of the person of interest or detailed why they believe that person is tied to the case.

The police said no one has been arrested or charged in the killings yet, but according to Morgan, authorities have interviewed the person of interest, who police claims practicing witchcraft. But investigators have yet to clarify how the crime might have been “ritualistic” in nature, he added.

"While we have a person of interest, there are still many things about this case we want to pursue," Morgan said, and added the authority aims not “to defame or demean any particular practice." However, the sheriff's office spokeswoman Sena Madison told CNN there are "some indications in the investigation that witchcraft may have been involved."

The authorities identified the three victims as 77-year-old Voncile Smith and her sons, 49-year-old Richard Thomas Smith and 47-year-old John William Smith. They stated one of the victims, Richard Thomas Smith, who was employed by the Department of Homeland Security and worked at Naval Air Station Pensacola, was first shot in the head, which they believe an effort to incapacitate him.

According to Morgan, the victims came from a "very reclusive family," which their neighbours told investigators they had never met them or have entered their home for years. There were no signs of forced entry or robbery at the home, and authorities are still searching for information to define how the crime happened.

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