NEWARK, N.J., May 26 (UPI) -- Two New Jersey women arrested after one of their daughters died of malnutrition were under the sway of a small religious sect, relatives say.
The leader of the group, Rezireksyon Kris, 37, has not been charged, The Star-Ledger of Newark reported. His name in Haitian Creole means "Christ is here."
Venette Ovilde and her roommate, Myriam Janvier, were arrested Sunday after police found Ovilde's daughter, Christiana Glenn, 8, dead with an emaciated body and untreated broken bones in their Irvington apartment. Two younger children also appeared to have been starved but were still alive.
Relatives said the women became part of Rezireksyon Kris's group two to three years ago. They were forbidden to work and began fasting and wearing headscarves.
William Weathers, Ovilde's landlord, said he noticed a marked change as well. The women threw out most of their furniture and made everything white inside.
Ovilde told him she had had a "spiritual awakening," Weathers said. He said he saw the children a few times but did not notice how small and thin they were because their bodies were shrouded in robes.
"I just feel awful," he said. "It's frightening to know how something like this could have happened right under my nose."
