The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has arrested a mother reportedly attempting to sell her 10-year-old daughter in Downtown Jacksonville for $20. Police say the woman also offered her daughter for sex for $5.
According to a released statement, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office District 1 Bike Unit and patrol officers recently responded to several reports of a mother attempting to sell her daughter.
JSO spoke with a local kindergarten teacher who was dropping off food at a nearby homeless shelter and stated the 32-year-old mother told her to “Take her [suspect’s daughter] with you. Give me $20, you can have her.”
Investigators then spoke with a man who stated the mother allegedly offered sex with her daughter for $5. The man did not report the case to police until Officers approached him.
The 10-year-old was reported to be hungry, crying, and appeared to have not bathed in days.
Officers arrested the mother, who was not named to protect the identity of the child, on charges of Selling or Surrendering a Minor for Money or Property and Child Abuse. Both are labeled as 3rd-degree felonies.
Detectives from JSO’s Integrity and Special Investigations Unit are continuing to work on the case in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The case was also referred to the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Child Protection Team (CPT), and the State Attorney’s Office’s Special Assault Division.
The child was taken to the hospital for treatment after investigators found her to be severely lethargic. She has been temporarily placed in a safe environment as the case moves through the court system.
“This is a sad reminder that human trafficking does happen in our community. It often goes unreported,” JSO said in a released statement.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, or if you are concerned about someone’s well-being, please call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500 or email JSOCrimeTips@JaxSheriff.org. You can also submit an anonymous tip to the National Human Trafficking Hotline by calling 1-888-373-7888 or visiting https://humantraffickinghotline.org/.
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