Illinois mom says she murdered her daughter before the ‘devil’ killed and ‘ate’ her first

Content warning: This article describes child murder and suicide. Please take care while reading.

According to the Chicago Police Department, Marisol Vazquez was arrested on Jan. 2 and charged with murdering her one-year-old daughter in December. Chicago news outlet WGNTV says Vazquez confessed to the crime and told the police the “devil” made her do it.

Vazquez, from Chicago, reportedly lived with her husband, her sister, and her one-year-old daughter, Lucia Vazquez. On the morning of Dec. 20, Vazquez’s sister says Marisol woke her up holding Lucia, who was cold to the touch. Marisol’s sister said Marisol was naked at that time and speaking incoherently about God. Marisol, 37, tried to stop her sister from calling the police, and when the authorities arrived, they found a bathtub filled with water and clogged with clothing.

EMTs tried to save Lucia, who was transported to an area hospital where she was pronounced dead. Her cause of death was later declared asphyxiation due to assault, possibly a forced drowning as reports say water escaped from Lucia’s mouth while EMTs tried to save her life. However, some reports also say Marisol told police she strangled her daughter with a bed sheet.

“The Devil was going to kill and eat the victim”

According to police statements read by the prosecution at Marisol’s first court appearance, she confessed to the crime, telling police, “The Devil was going to kill and eat the victim, so she should kill the victim and herself.” According to prosecutors, Marisol also told the police, “The voices in her head told her to grab a blanket, and that’s the fastest or least painful way for the victim to go to heaven.”

According to CBS News, Marisol told detectives she was “trapped by electronics,” and that, “everyone has been raped.” Reportedly, she also told the police, “We had to go in the water. We had to be with nature.” And that voice in her head told her, “She needs to kill herself with her daughter” so the devil would not eat the child.

Marisol admitted she tried to drown herself, too, but failed, and then tried to take her own life by other methods. Marisol will undergo mental health evaluations while in custody.

Marisol had no previous criminal history, and for this reason, her public defender said she could be released under certain conditions, but a judge ruled Saturday that Marisol was a danger to herself and the community and would remain in custody until her next court appearance on Jan. 7.

While details of the story support Marisol having a serious mental break, it’s unclear if she has a mental health diagnosis, and it’s important not to hypothesize what might have caused her delusions until she is properly evaluated by a mental health professional.

That said, online comments on Marisol’s case included, “I used to work at a hospital that also had a Psychiatric hospital as well. The people diagnosed with Schizophrenia were the ones who returned most often. They would stay on their prescribed medication for a while. When they weren’t having their episodes they decided they were well and quit taking their meds. One of the Psych. R.N.’s used to say we were just the revolving door for so many.”

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. A list of international crisis resources can be found here.