Maryland exorcism deaths: A Maryland mother stabbed two of her children to death and wounded two others while attempting an exorcism. The Maryland exorcist mother and another woman were charged with murder.

Police believe the two Maryland women were performing an exorcism at the time of the killing. Authorities said one boy and one girl were found stabbed repeatedly in their home. The Maryland mother has two other children that were seriously injured in the exorcism. They are expected to survive. Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, the mother of the four children, was charged with two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder.

In a statement Montgomery County Police said the two children, Norell Harris, 1, and Zyana Harris, 2, suffered multiple stab wounds during the exorcism at a townhouse in Germantown, Md. Their siblings, ages 5 and 8, were injured and hospitalized. The hospitalized children are identified as Taniya Harris, a 5-year-old female, and Martello Harris, an 8-year-old male. There has been no update on the condition of Taniya or Martello.

Police do not thing there wasn't any true ritual to what the mother did. Local law enforcement said that it was all in her mind.

County Police Chief Tom Manger said, "Cases like this are heartbreaking. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims."

The commander of the county's major crimes unit, Capt. Marcus Jones, said that the incident was, "all about what was in their minds." He said the women believed "there was something bad going on with the children, and they were trying to release it" by stabbing them multiple times.

Police said they found the dead and injured children on Friday morning after a vehicle was reported with a door open and a knife lying outside of it. The police were called to the residence the night before after a report that a child was left unattended in a car, but the child had been taken inside by the time they arrived and no one answered the door.

The mother of the children, Zakieya Latrice Avery, 28, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. Avery of the 19000 block of Cherry Bend Drive in Germantown, is being held without bond. On Saturday, police said a second woman, Monifa Denise Sanford, 21, was also at the scene. Sanford is believed to have lived at the Avery residence. Sanford has been released from the hospital. She was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. Sanford is also being held without bond.

State's Attorney John McCarthy said "It's kind of horrifying for any father, any grandfather. These are hard cases."