A boy whose remains were found in a remote desert compound in New Mexico died during a ritual ceremony, US prosecutors say.

The boy's remains were discovered after police rescued 11 malnourished children who were being held at the site.

The children were trained to use weapons to defend the compound from police and carry out school shootings, prosecutors say.

Five adults have been arrested on charges of abusing the children.

They have all pleaded not guilty.

Police raided the compound, near Amalia, on 6 August as part of their search for a missing three-year-old boy, Abdul-Ghani Wahhaj.

Abdul-Ghani's father, Siraj Wahhaj, was arrested at the site, along with Lucas Morten, Jany Leveille, Hujhrah Wahhaj and Subhannah Wahhaj.

Suspects Siraj Wahhaj (L) and Lucas Morton”‹

Mr Wahhaj is suspected of abducting the boy from his Georgia home in December.

Abdul-Ghani was not among the 11 children rescued from the compound - but police said they later found the remains of a young boy there.

On Monday, during a court hearing, prosecutors said the remains belonged to Abdul-Ghani and that the other children said the boy had died during a "religious ritual".

It was "a ritual intended to cast out demonic spirits," Taos Country prosecutor John Lovelace told the court.

Abdul-Ghani suffered from seizures, according to the missing person's report filed by his mother.

But Mr Wahhaj believed the boy was possessed by the devil and needed to be exorcised, court papers say.

From left to right: Jany Leveille, Hujhrah Wahhaj, Subhannah Wahhaj”‹

The discovery of the 11 children earlier this month had shocked many in the US.

Officers who discovered the children said they looked "like Third World country refugees not only with no food or fresh water, but with no shoes, personal hygiene and basically dirty rags for clothing".

Authorities had raided the site after receiving a message from someone that read: "We are starving and need food and water."