DALLAS — Cemetery Santeria: Rituals meant for prosperity in the afterlife.

But for people with loved ones buried at Oak Cliff's Five Mile Cemetery, it's just too much.

They tell News 8 they've seen everything from chickens burried alive up to their necks to bottles of blood placed near tombstones.

They say whoever is doing this needs to give it a rest so their loved ones can rest in peace.

There is history at Five Mile Cemetery; for the Norman family, three generations are buried here.

"See, that's my mother and daddy," said Faye Ann Norman. "That's very disturbing that someone is bothering your loved ones graves."

Stephanie Norman is livid. "I want to see it stopped," she said.

For more than a year, a group of people has been breaking the "no santeria" rules clearly stated on a sign at the cemetery's entrance.

They've trespassed onto the grounds and performed rituals akin to Santeria, a religious tradition started in western Africa and currently practiced in many Caribbean and Latin countries.

"A lot of times, we find chickens that their heads have been pulled off... their feathers had been pulled out," Faye Ann said.

"There's chicken remains everywhere; there's blood," Stephanie added.

Theresa Bryant, who runs the cemetery, said this has been happening often. "Almost every week — I've caught them a couple of times," she said.

Bryant has called police, who even agreed to send extra patrols. "The police have been very accomodating, but they can't do it every day," she said.

With few other alternatives, Bryant, the Norman family and others are left to clean up the mess, hoping the unwanted visitors move on and the strange rituals cease.

"It's disrespecting my right to have my family rest in peace," Stephanie Norman said.

A Santeria expert in Miami told News 8 this very well could have been a tradition called curanderismo, a mixture of indigenous and Catholic practices from Mexico, where people often leave objects behind for the dead. It is often confused with Santeria.

Either way, police say, if the group is caught, they could face charges of criminal trespass.

E-mail bgreene@wfaa.com