Transgender Woman Dies

GLOUCESTER TWP., N.J. - An investigation is underway after a transgender woman died during what's being called a "voodoo cleansing ritual" at a South Jersey home.

21-year-old Lucille Hamilton of Little Rock, Arkansas apparently came to Gloucester Township to take part in the ritual.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office and the Medical Examiner's Office are awaiting toxicology tests - which could take weeks to come back - in determining what caused the death of Hamilton.

Police were called to the 400 block of Loch Lomond Drive late Saturday night.

Hamilton was participating in a ritual performed by a self-advertised "voodoo priest."

Police were called to the townhome after 11 p.m. when Hamilton was found unresponsive. She was raced to a nearby hospital where she died.

Six other people, including children, were also found at the home. All were checked at Virtua Hospital in Berlin Township and released.

Neighbors tell Fox 29 the townhome has been the scene of several self-advertised "voodoo cleansing rituals" - some say it's Santeria-related.

"I'm in fear of my sister and my brother-in-law's life here due to the fact that this continues to go on. They have little children in this house," says neighbor Frank Batten. "It just needs to stop. They have a website and these people are coming from all over the place to do this voodoo ritual stuff...It's just not safe and this is not the community for this kind of thing."

"I'm really shocked," says neighbor Renee Miranda. "I can't stop getting the goosebumps and it really freaks me out. My son plays down here everyday...You never know what goes on behind closed doors."

Police described the victim as a transgender female who was undergoing a sex change in the months leading up to her death.

Investigators say they found no signs of trauma to the body and even stopped short of calling the death "suspicious."

Police will not say if drugs were involved in this case.

The homeowner appears to have done a significant amount of cleanup at the home after this incident, say investigators.

There is no word of any charges pending.