FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Florida woman has been charged with killing her 6-year-old son while attempting an exorcism on him, according to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office. 

St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro said school resource deputies at Samuel Gaines Academy requested a welfare check on Friday for Ra’myl Pierre, who had been absent from school since May 14. 

A deputy went to Ra’myl’s house on Bedford Drive in Fort Pierce and found the boy’s mother, 31-year-old Rhonda Paulynice, in the driveway. 

Paulynice escorted the deputy to the boy’s room, where Ra’myl was found lifeless, Del Toro said. 

The residence was secured and detectives responded to the home to begin their investigation. 

The cause of death could not be determined for the child following a search warrant and preliminary investigation, Del Toro said. 

In an interview with Paulynice, detectives learned the mother last spoke with Ra’myl on May 18, the sheriff said. Detectives believe the child had been dead since then.  

“She believed she was being told by God to basically exercise demons out of the child’s body,” Del Toro said. “When the child had stopped moving, and had basically passed away, at that point she felt the child had been released of those demons and was waiting for him to basically come back.” 

Paulynice was charged with second degree murder. 

“From what I understand, this kid just lit the room up and was just loved by everybody and so they’re all going to be having a very difficult time getting through this,” Del Toro added.

Paulynice was also charged with failure to report a death and altering body after death.