Police in Chile and Peru are joining forces to find a cult leader accused of leading a group who allegedly burned a 3-day-old baby alive as part of a "doomsday ritual."
Members of sect were arrested on Thursday, but police believe the ring leader, Ramon Gustavo Castillo Gaete, has fled to nearby Peru.
Officials say the 3-day-old baby was thrown onto a bonfire in November because the leader of the sect believed that the child was the antichrist and claim their leader "was God."
The arrested four other members of the sect included the baby's mother, 25-year-old Natalia Guerra.
In her written court statement, she stated that all sect members knew that her child "would be murdered" and that they had to obey the leader because he "was God."
Castillo Gaete, who was known as "Antares from the Light", considered himself a god and believed the world was about to end on December 21 2012, authorities say.
"'The baby was naked. They strapped tape around her mouth to keep her from screaming. Then they strapped her to a board. After summoning the spirits, they threw her on the bonfire alive," the investigator said.
The fire had been previously prepared in a two-meter deep hole in the ground.
Members apparently consumed ayahuasca, a potent hallucinogenic plant used for centuries by South American indigenous peoples, during their rituals.
Investigators say Mr Castillo Gaete had sexual relations with all the women in the sect.
