This 12-year-old girl died after her mother and a local high priest gave her a herbal infusion to induce an abortion, even though she was not pregnant.

The tragic, bizarre incident took place in a rural area of Joselandia, north-eastern Brazil, in November.

Civil Police said Wilkelly Flaviane Carvalho’s mother had taken her to see a professed pai-de-santo, believing she was pregnant.

A pai-de-santo is a a male priest of Candomble, Umbanda, or Quimbanda – Afro-Brazilian religions that merge traditional African beliefs with Christianity.

The priest had allegedly given her a preparation made from herbs and medicine to induce a miscarriage.

But after drinking it, Wilkelly fell ill and had to be taken to hospital, where she died in agony.

Medics called police, who arrested her mother and the pai-de-santo. The two are reportedly still in police custody, with their identities withheld.

Bafflingly, the autopsy report, released on 11th December, showed that Wilkelly had not been pregnant at the time of her passing.

The Order of Attorneys of Brazil in Maranhao state is now investigating if she had been raped and if this had led to suspicions she was with child.

According to the Penal Code of Brazil, raping a child under the age of 14 is punishable with eight to 15 years in prison.

According to poll data from 2020, two per cent of the population of Brazil follow Afro-Brazilian religions.