Woman charged, accused of trying to sell child for $20, offered her up for sex for $5: Police
A Florida woman is facing multiple felony charges after police say she attempted to sell her 10-year-old daughter to a woman for $20, and then later offered her up for sex to a man for $5.
According to the Jacksonville Police Department, a kindergarten teacher reported she was dropping off food at a homeless shelter when the 32-year-old suspect approached her and said, "Take her with you, give me $20, you can have her."
Investigators then spoke with a man who said the same woman offered her daughter for sex for $5. He did not report the case to police until officers approached him, police said.
USA TODAY is not naming the mother to protect the child's identity.
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'Crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days'
The child was "crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days,” police wrote in a press release.
Police arrested the suspect on charges including child abuse and selling or surrendering a minor for money or property.
The child was taken to the hospital, the press release continues, where she was found to be “severely lethargic.”
"This is a sad reminder that human trafficking does happen in our community," police Officer Christian Hancock told USA TODAY Thursday. It often goes unreported."
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking send an anonymous tip to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.