.st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By The Associated PressIn this frame taken from a TV Globo video a person points at a X-ray of a 2-year-old boy showing needles inside his body in a hospital in Ibotirama A 2-year-old Brazilian boy has as many as 50 metal sewing needles inside his body and a doctor treating the boy said they were apparently stuck there one by one Brazil -- A 2-year-old Brazilian boy has as many as 50 metal sewing needles inside his body and a doctor treating the boy said Wednesday they were apparently stuck there one by one Luiz Cesar Soltoski told The Associated Press that surgeons hope to remove most of the needles -- some as long as 2 inches (5 centimeters)-- but because some are stuck in his lungs they have to wait until the child's breathing improves Some cannot be removed; they are too close to vital organs or actually inside them brought him to a hospital in the small northeastern city of Ibotirama on Thursday doctors had him shifted to a larger hospital in Barreiras The mother told police she doesn't know how the needles got inside her son The boy's name was withheld because of his age Soltoski said he believes the needles were stuck into his body one by one because it would have been impossible for him to swallow them "We think it could have only been by penetration because we found needles in the lung the left leg and in different parts of the thorax It couldn't have been by ingestion," Soltoski said Doctors found no signs of outside wounds on the boy but X-ray images carried by Brazilian Web sites clearly showed some of the needles inside his body but Soltoski said his condition has improved since he was admitted Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our Privacy Policy, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/1/2025) © 2025 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices Brazil toddler has 50 sewing needles inside bodyThe Associated PressSAO PAULO — A 2-year-old boy has as many as 50 metal sewing needles inside his body Brazilian media said the boy's ex-stepfather was detained Luiz Cesar Soltoski told The Associated Press that surgeons hope to remove most of the needles — some as long as 2 inches (5 centimeters) — but those in the lungs will have to wait until the child's breathing improves Some needles cannot be removed as they are too close to vital organs or even inside organs took him to a hospital in the small northeastern city of Ibotirama last Thursday doctors moved him to a larger hospital in the nearby city of Barreiras The mother told police she didn't know how the needles got inside her son whose name was not released because of his age But police Wednesday night detained an ex-stepfather of the boy who confessed It reported the man said he inserted the needles with the help of two women who were not identified earlier told the newspaper A Tarde that he believed his son could have been a victim of a black magic ritual Alves reportedly said he visited the home where the boy was living and found unspecified items that could be used for black magic The police inspector in charge of the case told the Agencia Estado news agency that a black magic ritual involving the boy was among the motives that police were pursuing and that officers were casting a wide net for suspects anyone who had a relationship with the boy is a suspect," Santana said "All of our officers are focused on this case Santana did not answer his cell phone Wednesday night to comment on the Globo TV report about the detention and confession of the ex-stepfather No one answered the phone at the police station in Ibotirama The boy's doctor said he believed the needles were stuck into the child's body one by one "We think it could have only been by penetration because we found needles in the lung It couldn't have been by ingestion," Soltoski said X-ray images carried by Brazilian Web sites clearly showed some of the needles inside his body Dr Luiz Cesar Soltoski said surgeons hoped to remove most of the needles – some 2in (5cm) long – but because some were in his lungs they had to wait until the child's breathing improved Some could not be removed; they were too close to vital organs or inside them took him to hospitalin the small north-eastern city of Ibotirama last week The mother told police she did not know how the needles had got there but they are investigating.The boy's name was withheld because of his age Soltoski said he believed the needles were stuck into his body one by one because it would have been impossible for him to swallow them It couldn't have been by ingestion," he said but x-ray images carried by Brazilian websites showed some needles inside his body but Soltoski said his condition had improved since he was admitted Roberto Carlos Magalhaes claimed that a woman who went into a trance commanded him to stick the needles into the boy's body who was in stable condition in the city of Salvador after a 240-mile flight to a hospital in Barreiras with a special heart unit.