A Florida woman has been arrested after authorities say she tried to sell her 18-month-old daughter for $500 before leaving her behind when nobody would buy her.
The Palatka Police Department confirmed Jessica Woods, 33, was charged with child neglect and abandonment, selling or surrendering a minor for property or money, and three counts of child abuse after the incident that unfolded outside a business in Palatka on March 5.
Authorities said Woods was loitering around an unnamed business when an anonymous citizen who worked at the business asked her if she or her child needed any help. The citizen was familiar with Woods because she frequented the area, Fox 35 Orlando reported.
Woods said she didn’t need anything and then offered to sell her daughter for $500, police said. When the citizen said no, Woods allegedly walked away and left her daughter behind.
That citizen immediately took the toddler to the Palatka Police Department and reported the incident.
The 18-month-old has since been placed in foster care, police said.
Woods was arrested two days later and remains on a $255,000 bond.
