Police in Jacksonville, Florida, launched a child trafficking investigation after a mother allegedly tried to sell her daughter. An unidentified 32-year-old woman reportedly attempted to trade her 10-year-old daughter for cash to more than one person before she was arrested.
Thankfully, no one took the woman up on the offer, and police were able to intervene before the child was harmed any further.
An expert told WJXT that these situations often involve drugs and an adult's desire to feed their addiction. In this case, the mother was arrested, and the child was taken to a safe place.
More from CafeMom: 9-Year-Old Boy Gets Mom Arrested After Turning Her Bag of Drugs Over to the Police
The mother reportedly approached more than one person for money.
WFLA reported that police said the mother attempted to sell the child for small amounts of money to multiple people. According to police, one man said the woman approached him and offered her daughter for sex for $5. A kindergarten teacher also said the mother approached her while dropping off food at a homeless shelter in the area.
According to a press release obtained by WFLA, she allegedly told the woman, "Take her with you. Give me $20, and you can have her."
The young girl reportedly appeared unkempt.
The child was distraught when approached by police, according to WFLA. "The 10-year-old was crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days," the news release noted.
Police took the child to an area hospital where she was found to be "extremely lethargic."
The mother was arrested and charged with third-degree felonies.
The mother was taken into custody and charged with selling or surrendering a minor for money or property and child abuse, per WJXT. The incident is under investigation by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Child Protection Team, and the State Attorney's Office's Special Assault Division.
The case likely revolved on drug abuse.
WJXT Crime and Safety Analyst Tom Hackney said that in cases where an adult attempts to sell a child, it is normally to score money for drugs.
"There are cases throughout the county of this kind of thing and it focuses on the drug abuse part of it. They're so desperate for the next hit they'll sell anything. And here is a case this woman is willing to sell her own child," Hackney said.
More from CafeMom: A Man Allegedly Paid a Homeless Woman $20 To Watch His Granddaughter While He Was at a Bar
Another Florida mom allegedly attempted a similar stunt not long ago.
Jessica Woods, 33, of Palatka, Florida, allegedly tried to sell her 18-month-old daughter to a woman for $500 in March. When the woman offered to help Palatka purchase things for the child, she reportedly refused and abandoned the baby girl. The child was taken into foster care, and her mother was arrested and charged with six felonies, including selling or surrendering a minor for money or property, unlawful desertion of a child, aggravated child abuse, and three counts of abuse of child without great bodily harm.
