-contributed-
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Aug. 22, 2024
There are reliable reports that there has been a resurgence of the emo cult in western Belize, with pockets of expansion into areas such as Belmopan and Belize City. The youths who are dabbling in the cult are in-school youth (males and females) at the high-school and post-secondary levels.
The last public security concern about the activities of the emo cult in western Belize emerged in October 2018, when two teens were charged for the murder of another teen – Bobby Garcia, 19, of San Ignacio Town. Bobby, then a student, was found dead by tourists inside a temple at Cahal Pech in San Ignacio Town, Cayo, where reports indicated that he was sacrificed after his vicious murder had been plotted at a sleepover. Garcia was allegedly found with marijuana in his pocket. He was slashed to death – his body marked with two Xs, which are a cryptic form of the hexagram, one of the satanic occult’s “sacred geometry” symbols used by some youth engulfed in the emo cult.
During 2011, it was reported that several girls had taken their own lives in connection with the cult. One of these girls, Daisy Cerda, 19, had reportedly spoken about her attempted suicide in February 2011, two months before carrying out the act. Our law enforcement sources who were close to the situation at the time recalled that during their investigations, they unearthed a demonic plot to have several youths commit suicide as an act of loyalty to emo. There was a list of persons who were to have committed suicide, and by the time the police got wind of the plot, some had already taken their lives. That emo wave, we were told, appeared to have originated with teens who had migrated to western Belize from Guatemala. Strategic police intervention helped curb the wave of suicides.
Some emo-related incidents resulting in the loss of life made the news. Two other incidents were reported in May and November 2011. One was the suicide of Glenda Carranza, then 17, of Buena Vista, who reportedly died after drinking gramoxone; the other was the apparent drowning of Greg Alexander Flowers, also 17 at the time, who was said to have drowned at Branch Mouth in Santa Familia Village, Cayo, where the Orange Walk resident, who was a student of the University of Belize, reportedly went swimming with friends. In the case of Flowers, the family said that the story didn’t add up, and the accounts from the friends he went swimming with were not credible, because they claimed that Flowers was swimming around the river although they, the family knew he could not swim. Furthermore, there were reports of attempts to push the teen into the river.
Our current information, which comes from the family of a teen who has been persistently struggling for months to overcome this DEMONIC stronghold, indicates that the cult’s pushers are targeting minors who are transitioning into their teen years, who are most vulnerable to the influences of other teens actively engaged in the cult. They tend to find their teen targets at school and at parks or other public spaces (including bus stops) where they befriend others and socialize.
Emo is NOT “a fashion trend;” the families affected—based on their personal experiences—insist there is much more to it. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the relative of a teen who has been struggling to free their loved one from this cult describes the frustrating experience of trying to get help for their loved one – a school-aged teen who has disappeared from the home for extended periods, spanning several hours to several days, as the cult pulls its targeted youths into a life of delinquency, satanic ritual activities, drug use, and perverse sexual activities. The family, friends and other loved ones have put on the armor of faith, and with fervent prayers have been fighting for the total deliverance of their teen.
They described some of the stark behavioral changes the youth underwent since first becoming involved with other teens in the cult, living in western Belize, several months ago. These include an adamant compulsion to wear specific types of clothing, especially dark-colored tops (often t-shirts) with demonic designs and pants of a specific signature style, as well as hair falling over the face, covering the forehead and even the eyes. Sometimes, dark nail polish (black or dark purple) is also worn, by males and females.
The families of teens who become embroiled in the dark side of the emo culture suffer tremendously, especially those living in the same home. Frequent and extended bathroom trips rob other family members of the freedom to use the bathroom when they need to, as emo teens are said to occupy that space for seances with demonic spirits. There is also an affinity for cats.
Self-cutting (slashing marks across the forearm with various types of sharp objects), major weight loss, and attempted suicide have also been persistent problems, especially as the youth grapples with tormenting demons that seem hellbent on influencing the child to take his or her own life. One day, the youth strangely expressed astonishment about “still being alive,” and had admitted on more than one occasion to having suicidal thoughts.
In the paper, “This corrosion: A systematic review of the association between alternative subcultures and the risk of self-harm and suicide,” by Mairead Ann Hughes and co-authors, published in the British Journal of Clinical Psychology in March 2018, “those who identify as belonging to an alternative subculture [goths, emos and people who love alternative music] may be at a higher risk of self-harm and suicidal behavior.”
The family explained that the youth also appeared on several occasions to hallucinate due to the drug use, to which the teen has also admitted. One emo teen in the network claimed to “eat cocaine for breakfast.” The youths also experiment with other drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, and ketamine, which all have potentially dire, life-altering, and deadly consequences. Indications are that some of the teens peddle drugs among their peers. In response to a threat to one of their peers who was allegedly being stalked by another youth, some claimed to have access to high-powered weapons, highlighting the security risk for other teens and families associated with them.
Teens in the emo cult tend to also be drawn into associations and intimate relations with other emo teens. They feel more comfortable hanging out with and dating other emos. Moreover, they recruit other peers through peer pressure—and bullying in extreme cases—and it is very hard for some teens to resist. Some youths who join emo do not necessarily do it because they want to.
Cyberbullying is also one of the concerns with the teens who have been immersed in this cult. There have been several instances, some of which have been reported to police, of teens engaged in online activities and communications promoting the cult. Some even threatened others that if they speak, they could find themselves as the next human sacrifice.
Youth who are recruited struggle with family relations as well as with school interactions and performance, because much of their life’s energy is drawn into obsessive cultish practices and behaviors. Symbols using so-called “sacred geometry” —hexagrams and pentagrams, often drawn inside circles, and the anarchy symbol (a cryptic form of the pentagram in a circle) become common doodles over the child’s schoolbooks, test papers, and personal items. The loved ones are concerned about the demise of their teen and ask for prayers and interventions to address this expanding cult with origins in the USA and the UK dating back to the early 2000s, seemingly as a variant of “pop culture.” The youths are into music from a range of heavy metal bands and alternative rock, some of which highlight and even promote sadness, drug use, sexual promiscuity and perversion.
Back in 2008, Hannah Bond, 13, of the UK, who told her parents that emo was just a fashion trend, ended up hanging herself in her room after her mother did not grant her permission to attend a sleepover. According to the report carried by the Daily Mail, “In a tribute book set up at Hannah’s school, one pupil left the following message: ‘I hope you enjoy the black parade.’” This was a reference to My Chemical Romance’s “Black Parade,” a popular song among the emos. The first stanza ends with: “… one day, I’ll leave you a phantom / To lead you in the summer / To join the black parade.”
Some of the teens in the emo network also identify as “goth” or having an affinity for dating goths – which is a related subculture that shares similar love for music and fashion from the dark side. Some say that the emo culture is a younger version of the goth culture.
One of our sources insists that emo is not just a fashion trend or a harmless teen phase. This assertion is based on the marked transformation they have seen in the life of their relative, as well as other teens in the circle. As with the case of Hannah Bond, the before and after photos show the stark change. They call upon spiritual and law enforcement authorities to urgently help fight this growing problem, as their reports also indicate that other youth in places such as Belmopan and Belize City have been recruited into the cult. Recently, there was a case with some teenaged girls from Belize City who had joined the emo and whose family reported them displaying seances with demonic forces and other concerning activities.
The problem is that the emos will continue to recruit and expand, either by bullying and intimidating tactics or by drawing unsuspecting youth who may think it is “just a fashion trend,” not knowing that the longer they continue to associate with the dark elements of the emos and the deeper they go into this culture, they come under its controlling influences and its mission to take over their life.
Not every youth who gets into the emo self-harms or commits suicide, but in the process of being in the cult, they lose themselves and miss out on a promising future. Some youth are more vulnerable than others; some youth are stronger than others. The reality is, you never know which teen target will become the next recruit or even the next sacrifice – either through self-harm, murder guised as suicide or drowning, or even outright sacrificial murder.
The family also appeals to parents and educators to be on the lookout for warning signs, to not shy away from seeking help for persons who are being adversely affected, and most of all, to remain persistent, prayerful, and strong in faith—no matter how frustrating or challenging the ordeal may become.