Homeless Florida woman allegedly tried to sell her 10-year-old daughter for sex to stranger outside shelter, police say
Florida police said they arrested a homeless woman who allegedly tried to sell her daughter to one woman and tried to sell her for sex to another man.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said that officers responded to calls about the 32-year-old woman in downtown Jacksonville.
‘Give me $20 and you can have her.’
A kindergarten teacher said that she was dropping off donations of food for the shelter when the woman allegedly offered to sell her daughter to her for $20, according to police.
“Take her with you. Give me $20, and you can have her,” the woman allegedly told the teacher.
Police then spoke to a man who told them that the same woman had offered to let him have sex with her daughter for $5. They noted that the man had not sought to talk to police about the incident until they approached him.
The girl appeared to be neglected, according to the report.
“The 10-year-old was crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days,” police wrote. They also said that she was severely lethargic.
The woman was arrested on charges of selling or surrendering a minor for money or property and child abuse. Both of the charges are third-degree felonies.
The identity of the mother is not being released publicly in order to protect the privacy of the daughter.
The child was transported to a hospital to receive treatment and later taken to an undisclosed safe location while the investigation progresses.
WJXT-TV’s safety analyst Tom Hackney said that usually in cases where a parent is trying to sell a child, they are usually seeking money to support a drug addiction.
“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.
However, WJXT said police had not yet indicated what the woman’s motive could be.
Police said that they’re investigating further to find whether the woman offered her daughter to anyone else. The case is being referred to the State Attorney’s Office’s Special Assault Division, the Child Protection Team, and the Florida Department of Children and Families. The FBI is also investigating the matter.
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