Sheriff: ‘Ritualistic’ Florida killings may be tied to blue moon

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Investigators in the Florida Panhandle are looking into the deaths of a woman and her two adult sons as a ritualistic killing that could be connected to the recent blue moon.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan says they’ve identified a person of interest in the July 28 deaths of 77-year-old Voncile Smith, 49-year-old Richard Smith and 47-year-old John Smith.

Morgan says the positioning of the bodies and the method of the killings – blunt force trauma and slit throats – led investigators to believe it was “ritualistic.”

The bodies were discovered Friday in their house near Pensacola.

The blue moon is a rare occurrence of a second full moon in a month.

It occurred on July 31, three days after the victims were killed. But the sheriff didn’t explain the discrepancy.

This story was originally published August 5, 2015 at 7:57 AM with the headline "Sheriff: ‘Ritualistic’ Florida killings may be tied to blue moon."