Not recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, Santa Muerte has a strong cult following among Mexico’s marginalized population. She has been called the patron saint of drug dealers and murderers, and recently some of her followers have been accused of high-profile crimes. A look at Holy Death on her November 2 feast day, the Feast of All Souls, also known as the Day of the Dead.
Adolfo Constanzo was charming, charismatic and believed to have psychic abilities. He led a cult and a drug operation, and believed that his extrasensory powers would keep both from being detected by police. On April 11, 1989, his powers failed him as police began digging up body after body at his ranch.
Police in Los Angeles are still searching for transient Tobias Dustin Summers, who is charged with entering a home on March 27, 2013, and abducting a girl, 10, at knifepoint from her bed. Police believe the girl was taken to an abandoned house and sexually assaulted for 12 hours.
On July 30, 1987, Sara Maria Aldrete Villareal met cult leader Constanzo, who began her seduction to the dark side. She would ultimately assume the role of "godmother" to his growing cult, demanding human sacrifice of his followers. Their violent cult went unnoticed until they abducted and killed American student in Mexico for spring break.
