A 33-year-old American woman was arrested by police in Palatka, Florida (United States) on March 5, after trying to sell her 18-month-old baby to an employee of a store in the city, reports announced this Thursday, March 14, the authorities.
The Palatka police released a statement detailing the events that occurred.
Jessica Woods had been loitering around a store in the city with her 18-month-old daughter for several years.
“When a store employee asked her if she or the child needed help, she said no, but offered to sell her daughter for $500” (around 460 euros), detailed the police.
The child placed in foster care
But when the employee refused to buy her little girl, the thirty-year-old simply turned on her heel, abandoning her baby in front of the store.
The man then picked up the 18-month-old girl and took her to the Palatka police station for treatment.
Palatka police officers, informed of the situation, took care of the child with the help of a victim advocate, a person responsible for supporting victims during their journey to the police station.
The child and family welfare social service then intervened, before a foster family took over.
For now, the little girl is still placed with her foster family.
At the end of the investigations, investigators managed to trace the child's mother, Jessica Woods, and obtained an arrest warrant against her on charges of child abuse, neglect and abandonment.
She was arrested on March 7, when she was subsequently remanded in custody.
The young woman is free on bail, but this amounts to 255,000 dollars, or 234,000 euros.