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Jose Augusto dos Santos, 40, is being investigated for allegedly sacrificing a small child and a man in a rare Afro- Brazilian religious ceremony aimed at winning favors from the devil, police in the remote state of Mato Grosso said.

"This man had pictures of Lucifer, Satan, all over the house. He had statues of him as well," said homicide investigator Marcio Peironi.

"He says he bought all these bones from a worker at the cemetery. But we have reason to believe he may also have committed human sacrifice," he added.

Peironi said Augusto dos Santos admitted to paying a grave digger for skulls and skeletons for use in black magic rituals at his home and "terreiro," or house of worship.

Augusto dos Santos is known as a "pai-de-santo" or head priest in Afro Brazilian religion. He told authorities his terreiro was used for Candomble ceremonies, in which West African gods possess followers' bodies during heated moments of dance and drumming.

But the Candomble religion, like virtually all Afro- Brazilian religious practices, does not involve human sacrifice or worship so-called evil spirits.

Police said they believe Augusto dos Santos was paid by middle and upper class followers of the darker, Quimbanda religion, where the pai-de-santo summons evil spirits to win favors from them.

Along with the remains of a young child buried beneath Augusto dos Santos' terreiro, police say they found a photo of a baby with the words "Para Morrer" or "To Die" written on the backside. Augusto dos Santos, who has denied allegations of murder, told local press the photo was of his own child.

Police also believe they may have found the remains of a man who had been missing since 1995, Romualdo Pereira Barbosa, in the priest's house.

"We have done the big job, discovering these remains. Now we have send them for DNA tests, hopefully identify them and notify the families," Peironi said.

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