A harrowing incident unfolded in Tampa, Florida, as authorities allege that a 33-year-old woman, Jessica Woods, attempted to sell her 18-month-old daughter to a bystander for a mere $500 before callously abandoning her.
According to the Palatka Police Department, the unsettling episode occurred on March 5 when an employee of a nearby business noticed Woods lingering around the premises for several days. Concerned for her well-being, the employee approached Woods to offer assistance. However, instead of accepting help, Woods shockingly propositioned the bystander, offering to sell her own flesh and blood for a paltry sum.
When the employee rightfully declined the grotesque offer, Woods purportedly callously placed her toddler on the ground and walked away, callously abandoning her own child without a second thought.
Fortunately, the vigilant worker promptly intervened, scooping up the bewildered toddler and swiftly bringing her to the local police department to report the appalling ordeal. Palatka police officers, aided by the Department’s Victim Advocate, provided immediate care and support to the traumatized child until the Department of Children and Families could intervene and take custody of her. Subsequently, the child was placed in foster care, away from the distressing circumstances inflicted upon her by her own mother.
Woods’ reprehensible actions did not go unpunished. Just two days later, she was apprehended by authorities and now faces charges of child abuse, child neglect, and abandonment of a child, underscoring the severity of her abhorrent behavior.
