Four Arrested In Texas 'Blood Ritual' Kidnapping Case

Four people have been arrested after a woman said they kidnapped her, tied her up in a San Antonio-area home, held her for three days, injected her with heroin and performed a “blood ritual,” all in the name of revenge, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Mercedes Salazar, 32, was arrested Sunday. She is believed to be the ringleader of the group and the last of the four to be arrested, police said. Authorities believe that Salazar targeted the victim, whose name has not been released, because the victim dated her brother who died in August, police said.

The 25-year-old victim told police she was zip tied to a chair and injected with heroin, police said.

She also described a “blood ritual,” which involved her hair being cut and blood being drawn.

Three days into her captivity, Salazar and James Cerda, an accomplice, left the victim with Teanna San Nicholas so they could run an errand, police said. The victim convinced San Nicholas to cut her loose so she could move around, eat and go to the bathroom, police said.

When San Nicholas fell asleep, the victim called her mom, who alerted the authorities.

When police entered the house, the victim screamed to alert them to her presence. San Nicholas threatened with scissors and a knife, but police disarmed her and arrested her on the spot.

Salazar was charged with aggravated kidnapping and was released from jail Tuesday after posting $75,000 bail. Salazar has been in the Bexar County jail 11 times on 43 charges since she was 17 years old.

Photo: Mercedes Salazar, courtesy Bexar County Sheriff’s Office