JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A mother is facing multiple charges including child abuse after she allegedly tried to sell her young daughter for $20 in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said that its District 1 Bike Unit and patrol officers had responded after multiple reports of a woman trying to sell her daughter, WJAX reported.
Investigators spoke with multiple witnesses. One of them was a kindergarten teacher who said that the 32-year-old woman told her “Take her with you. Give me $20, you can have her,” according to WFLA.
They also spoke with a man who did not initially report the incident but said that the woman allegedly offered sex with her daughter for $5, according to WJAX.
The sheriff’s office said in the news release obtained by WFLA, that the 10-year-old girl was crying, hungry, and looked like she had not bathed in days.”
The woman was arrested and faces multiple charges including child abuse and selling or surrendering a minor for money or property. The 10-year-old was taken to an area hospital, WJAX reported. She was found to be severely lethargic.
The sheriff’s office is reportedly not releasing the woman’s name in order to protect the girl’s identity, WFLA reported.
“This is a sad reminder that human trafficking does happen in our community. It often goes unreported,” the sheriff’s office said, according to WJAX.