Star Actress Dies After Taking Part In Shocking Ritual

Mexican actress Marcela Alcázar Rodríguez, 33, is dead following her participation in a bizarre “spiritual cleansing” ritual that is raising questions about the lengths celebrities are going to in order to achieve enlightenment.

The Daily Caller reports that Rodríguez died Sunday while staying in the Mexican state of Durango and ingesting poisonous frog venom, a powerful hallucinogen that has been known to cause severe sickness and even death. In her case, the young actress suffered a negative reaction to the liquid obtained from an Amazonian frog, causing her periods of prolonged vomiting and diarrhea that necessitated a trip to an area Red Cross hospital. She was initially denied medical treatment by other ritual participants before an ambulance was called. Fox News reports there is a dispute about whether it was Rodríguez who first refused treatment.

Known as Kambo, the sticky substance comes from the back of the Amazon’s giant monkey frog. It was administered by Jonathan Moreno, the shaman of the ritual, who didn’t wait around to see that Rodríguez made it safely to the hospital. Media reports say the spiritual guru fled the scene before police could get his statement. The Attorney General’s Office of the State of Durango has launched an investigation into Moreno’s management of the retreat.

Kambo is illegal in some Mexican states but generally tolerated for use in indigenous tribes. The drug’s use is as unpleasant as it can be deadly. In the Amazon, the giant monkey frog secretes the venom as a defense against predators, but its use by humans dates back centuries. Participating in the ritual requires drinking up to a liter of water or cassava soup before the shaman burns small areas of the person’s skin. Kambo is then applied to the blisters that form over the wound. Some native Mexican tribes believe the drug wards off bad spirits or brings good luck, but it also brings intense bouts of vomiting after Kambo enters the lymphatic system and bloodstream.

Mapache Films, Rodríguez’s production company, acknowledged her death in a statement on Monday. “With deep regret, today we bid farewell to our colleague and friend Marcela Alcázar, wishing also quick resignation for her closest family and friends🎥 DEP. 🙏🏾,” the Spanish-to-English translated statement read. “Her passing left an immense emptiness in our hearts and in our professional community. Her dedication, joy and commitment left a profound mark on all of us who had the privilege of working beside her.”