Kyle Nolan: American teen dies at ayahuasca retreat; shaman convicted of homicide and concealment
Record class
Core record
Evidence status
Convicted
Authority role
ayahuasca-ceremony shaman, Shimbre Shamanic Center
Organization
Shimbre Shamanic Center
Spiritual nexus
The shaman held ceremonial authority over the ayahuasca ritual in which Nolan died, and used that position of trust to conceal the death rather than seek help.
- Spiritual healing or treatment
- Ritual, oath, or initiation
Evidence structure
Proceedings
Date in cited record · criminal conviction and sentence
Peru (criminal courts, Ucayali region). Kyle Josef Nolan, 18, of Sebastopol, California, died in late August 2012 during an ayahuasca ceremony at the Shimbre Shamanic Center in Peru. The retreat's shaman, Jose Manuel Pineda, concealed the death from Nolan's mother and buried the body before eventually confessing to police. Peruvian authorities convicted Pineda of homicide and of lying to authorities, sentencing him to five years in prison.
Documented coercion mechanisms
- claimed shamanic authority over dosage and ceremonial safety
- concealment of the death from the victim's family and authorities
Primary record
Sources
- international press investigative report CNN, 'Teen's quest for Amazon "medicine" ends in tragedy' (Oct. 24, 2014).
Reports the death, the shaman's concealment and burial of the body, arrest, and eventual conviction and five-year sentence for homicide and lying to authorities.
- regional press follow up report CBS San Francisco, 'Sebastopol Dad Says Son's Hallucinogen Death In Peru Was Murder'.
Additional coverage of the family's response and case background.
Related record
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