A toddler in the US was starved to death by members of a religious cult, including his own mother, for not saying “amen” after meals.

Javon Thompson, who was 21 months old when he died, was deprived of food and water after members of the religious group, who called themselves Mind Ministries, objected to him not saying "amen" after he had eaten, according to police in Baltimore, Maryland. His remains were left in a suitcase for over a year.

Javon’s mother Ria Ramkissoon has been charged with first-degree murder, along with three other members of the group, including its leader, ‘Queen Antoinette’, 40, also known as Toni Ellsberry or Toni Sloan.

Ms Ramkissoon, 21, is reportedly also charged with child abuse, reckless endangerment and other offences in relation to her son’s death.

According to court documents which described police interviews with a confidential informant, the members of the cult did not seek medical care for Javon when he stopped breathing, and the boy died in his mother's arms. The source said the toddler would have been about 15 months old when adults stopped feeding him in December 2006.

Ms Ramkissoon’s mother Seeta Khadan-Newton, told the Baltimore Sun that her daughter was a “victim” of the cult who was following the orders of the religious group when Javon died.

"My daughter was a victim, just like my grandson. She didn't willingly decide, 'I'm going to kill my son.'” Mrs Khadan-Newton told the paper.”It's not like that. Somebody made that decision to not feed that child, and my daughter had to follow instructions."

Queen Antoinette and the two other people charged in Javon's death - Marcus Cobbs, 21; and Trevia Williams, who turns 21 on Tuesday — were already in custody.

They were arrested in May in New York City on warrants charging them with failure to appear in court in Baltimore. Those charges stemmed from a scuffle with police in a child custody dispute.

Mrs Khadan-Newton last saw her daughter in April 2006, just after Javon was born and around the same time Ms Ramkissoon had joined the 1 Mind Ministries.

The documents show police interviewed two school-age children who had been part of the group but were removed from it by Philadelphia police. The children told investigators that members stopped feeding Javon in December 2006, in part because the boy refused to say “amen” after dinner. The children also claimed that members of the group viewed Javon as “a demon”.

After Javon died from starvation his body was left in a room for more than a week as Antoinette claimed “God was going to raise Javon from the dead", according to police reports. Police also allege the boy's body was then placed in a green suitcase and left for such a long time that Antoinette would periodically open it and spray with disinfectant to mask the odour.

The suitcase was then left along with other luggage inside a shed in Philadelphia while the group relocated to Brooklyn, New York.

Police recovered the suitcase in April after they got a tip from the confidential informant. The remains of a small child were inside. DNA tests are pending to confirm the boy's identity.

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?