Abilene police say the mother, 29-year-old Joana Delacruz Huerta, and the woman accused of buying her baby, 27-year-old Marilu Munoz, both from Texas, were charged on Thursday with the sale or purchase of an infant, which is a third-degree felony.
The women remained in the Taylor County Jail on Friday. Bail has not yet been set.
Police Sgt Lynn Beard says Huerta reportedly sold the baby for $2,000 on an 'installment plan' with scheduled payments.
At a press conference today he said that a department unit was tipped off by an anonymous source that a mother had sold her baby.
He said: 'This is the first time in my 13 years that I remember [a mother selling her child] happening.' The infant, whose gender wasn't released, was taken into custody by Child Protective Services.
If convicted, both women face a maximum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
In July, 36-year-old Heidi Lynn Knowles, from Washington, was arrested for trying to sell her three-day old son at a Taco Bell for $500.
Deputies were called to the restaurant by a woman who said Knowles approached her in the restaurant, handed her the baby and offered to sell him.
No comments:
Post a Comment