Peruvian shaman confesses he buried body of U.S. teen who died from drinking hallucinogenic herbal brew at spiritual retreat

A Peruvian shaman admitted to police on Wednesday that he had buried the body of a U.S. teenager to cover up his death during a spiritual retreat in the Amazon last month.

Shaman Jose Pineda Vargas, 58, told the authorities that 18-year-old Kyle Joseph Nolan, from northern California, died on August 22 from exceeding the dosage of a medicinal brew called Ayahuasca while staying at the Shimbre Shamanic Center.

Vargas then buried Nolan’s body at his jungle retreat and said that the teenager disappeared. Nolan's mother began searching for him after he failed to return from Peru as scheduled August 27.

Confession: The body of 18-year-old Kyle Joseph Nolan, right, was discovered in the Amazon after Peruvian Shaman Jose Pineda Vargas, left, admitted to burying him to cover up the teen's death from a medicinal drink



Nolan arrived at the shamanic center on August 17 and according to the Spanish-language site Peru21.pe , he paid $1,200 to take part in the Ayahuasca ritual.

‘It's like he's vanished,’ his mother, Ingeborg Eswalo, said before police found her son’s body in a thick brush on the grounds of the shamanic center.

Vargas’ spiritual retreat is located near the native community of Tres Islas in the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon basin that borders Brazil, according to police colonel Roberto Palomino.

Peru is a popular destination for a growing number of tourists who want to try Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic concoction derived from Amazonian vines and shrubs that is traditionally drunk in indigenous ceremonies with the guidance of a shaman to heal sicknesses and communicate with nature and ancestors.

A similar brew is also used in certain religions in Brazil.

Journey gone awry: Nolan arrived at the Shimbre Shamanic Center after paying $1,200 to take part in an Ayahuasca ritual

The website for the Peruvian retreat, written in English, describes Pineda as ‘Master Shaman Mancoluto,’ and says he helps Ayahuasca initiates ‘open their minds to deeper realities, develop their senses and intuitive capabilities and unlock the person's untapped potential.’

The center says it holds five ceremonies held over 10 nights, when participants ingest psychedelic plants in ‘a comfortable private space in the middle of a virgin rainforest,’ but that people familiar with the side effects of the drugs are always on site to help.

Vargas was arrested following his confession, along with two other men who are accused of helping the shaman bury Nolan.

In 2011, Vargas was featured in a documentary called Stepping Into the Fire that tells the story of a wealthy New York Stock Exchange trader who travels to Peru - the land of his ancestors - in search of enlightenment, only to encounter the spiritual leader.



Remote spot: Vargas' spiritual retreat is located near the native community of Tres Islas in the Madre de Dios region of the Amazon basin that borders Brazil

A synopsis of the film on the site IMDB describes Vargas as a 'first-level master shaman descended from one of the earliest civilizations in Amerindian history, Chavin.'

