Brasilia, Dec 21 (EFE) The two-year-old Brazilian boy who had dozens of needles inserted into his body in a suspected black magic ritual has begun to eat normally and breathe without aid, doctors said.
“His condition is stable, with a slight improvement,” added a bulletin released Sunday by physicians at Ana Nery hospital in Salvador city, where the boy has been receiving medical care since last Wednesday.

The child underwent surgery Friday to remove four of the dozens of needles because they were located near his heart and lungs.

Doctors said that during the coming days he will have to be operated on again to remove other needles that are near his abdominal cavity, bladder and digestive tract.

So far, the physicians in charge of the boy’s case have not been able to determine exactly how many needles were inserted into him.

Initially, they spoke of about 50, but later this number was adjusted to 42 and now it is believed that 31 needles were used, and thus the boy still has - at least - 27 of them remaining within him.

Police arrested the boy’s stepfather and two women in the case, and one of the women apparently is a practitioner of black magic rituals.

Authorities reported that the stepfather confessed that he asked for the women’s “help” to take revenge on his wife for reasons that still have not been clarified.