Voodoo in Huntington: Decapitated Animal Corpses Found in Bushes

By Priya Persaud

The decapitated bodies of goats and chickens sacrificed in a ritual of animal sacrifice, have been discovered stuffed into black plastic garbage bags dumped into the roadside brush in Huntington, along the Nassau border.

Within the black garbage bags were the headless, partially decomposed, remains of two goats and five chickens.

According to the Suffolk County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (“SPCA”) the bags were found approximately 100 feet south of exit 39 of the Northern State Parkway, on the side of Round Swamp Road.

Upon the initial discovery of the bags on the parkway, the Suffolk County police notified the Suffolk County SPCA officials.

According to the Suffolk County SPCA Chief Roy Gross, vegetables and fruits were discovered to be near the garbage bags. The Suffolk County SPCA concluded that that is a case of animal sacrifice.

The ritual beheading and sacrifice of goats and chickens is part of syncretic religious practices called "Voodoo" in Haiti, and "Santaria" in Cuba. The practices were brought over by slaves to the New Work from West Africa, and are now common in certain Caribbean communities in New York.

The Suffolk County SPCA offered a $2,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the party, or parties, accountable for this case. Gross also reported that the New York State Humane Society put up an extra $1,000 for any information regarding this case.

Gross concluded by stating that Suffolk County will not tolerate animal cruelty. The Suffolk County SPCA wrote, “if you witness any incident of animal cruelty or neglect in Suffolk County, please contact the Suffolk County SPCA at 631-382-7722.”