WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- A mother suspected of killing her four children , whose decomposing bodies were found in her home , told police they were possessed by demons , according to court records . Banita Jacks , 33 , is charged with three counts of felony murder and one count of first-degree murder while armed . The victims , who range in age from 5 to 17 years , are thought to be her daughters . Their bodies were found when U.S. marshals served an eviction notice at Jacks ' apartment in southeast Washington , D.C. Court documents say Jacks identified the victims as her daughters Brittany Jacks , 17 ; Tatianna Jacks , 11 ; N'kiah Fogle , 6 ; and Aja Fogle , 5 . Earlier Thursday , Mayor Adrian Fenty said the bodies ' decomposition has hindered their identification , although they were believed to be Jacks ' children . Marie Pierre-Louis , Washington 's chief medical examiner , said all four of the girls had been dead for at least 15 days . Jacks is being held without bail . Her next court appearance is scheduled for February 11 . If convicted , she could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison . Jacks told police that her daughters were possessed by demons and that each died in her sleep during a seven- to 10-day period , court documents said . Aja died first , she told police , then N'kiah , Tatianna and Brittany . `` She said that as the first three younger children died , she placed them side by side in the room in which they died , '' according to court documents . She reported that all the deaths occurred sometime before the electricity in her house was disconnected , which records show was September 5 , 2007 , documents said . Jacks said she never tried to call authorities to remove the bodies `` because she did n't trust either agency and because she thought if she notified emergency personnel , that would cause her more problems , '' the documents said . She also said she had not fed her daughters food `` for a substantial period of time prior to their deaths . '' No one besides herself or the children had been in the home since May 2007 , Jacks said . Pierre-Louis ruled the deaths homicides , according to a court document . Watch Pierre-Louis describe the condition of the bodies » . Preliminary findings are that Brittany was stabbed to death and that Aja died from blunt-force impact to the back of her head and possible ligature strangulation . Both Tatianna and N'kiah also had `` apparent ligature evidence '' on their necks that was `` somewhat more defined than that noted on Aja Fogle 's neck , '' court documents said . However , the documents said , further tests are needed to confirm the causes of the deaths . All four children were wearing white T-shirts and were discovered in unfurnished bedrooms -- three in one and a fourth in another , the documents said . `` What appeared to be a metal steak knife '' was found next to the fourth . Also , the fourth body was found in a bedroom with hardwood floors , and a T-shirt with duct tape was found at the bottom of the bedroom door , filling the gap between the floor and the bottom of the door when it was closed . A witness told police they saw Jacks treat Brittany differently from her other children , sometimes withholding food from her while feeding the others , court documents said . In addition , the witness said Jacks once drove Brittany to Jacks ' mother 's home in Waldorf , Maryland , and left her there . Jacks ' mother was not home , the witness said , and Brittany was left on the porch unattended for more than 10 hours . City officials are trying to determine how the children could have been dead for at least two weeks without anyone noticing their absence . Fenty said the city had determined that Jacks ' children were `` in and out of the public school system '' and that the child welfare caseworkers and the metropolitan police had each had at least `` one contact '' with the family . Watch Fenty explain how a `` routine '' eviction became a death investigation » . `` There may be other contacts with the government ... in the case of the Jacks family , '' he said . He did not divulge further details . `` Somebody should have known that these young people were not in school or someplace , '' Councilman Marion Barry said Wednesday . The former Washington mayor represents the ward in which the bodies were found . E-mail to a friend . CNN 's Larry Lazo contributed to this report .
NEW : One child appeared to be stabbed to death , another strangled . Mother Banita Jacks , 33 , told police her children died in their sleep . Jacks faces 3 counts of felony murder , 1 count of first - degree murder while armed . In trying to determine how kids ' deaths , absences went unnoticed .