Mom Tries to Sell Baby to Craigslist Contact
A Mississippi mom is under arrest for allegedly offering to sell her baby to a woman she met via Craigslist.
Authorities say Bobbie Jo Stojic, 23, of Bay St. Louis, tried to sell her 4-month-old son for $5,000 in a text message to a lady who responded to a Craigslist ad. The ad was for baby clothes, not for an actual baby.
Unfortunately for Stojic, Mississippi has enacted a law against selling babies, leaving us to wonder how often this sort of thing happens...
Craigslist: Baby Clothes and Babies
Stojic allegedly tried to sell her baby to a Louisiana woman who had answered her Craigslist ad for baby clothes. The two formed a "loose" friendship over text messages, reports The Associated Press.
Ultimately, they got to talking about Stojic's dire financial straits and the costs associated with the adoption process. That discussion was reportedly what prompted Stojic to broach the baby sale offer via text message.
Authorities believe Stojic either wanted to sell her son or scam her Craigslist friend, reports the AP. Considering how often people get scammed on Craigslist, the latter is quite plausible.
Regardless of the motive, offering to sell a child is a felony in Mississippi.
Mississippi Law on Selling Children
In 2009, Mississippi made it a crime to sell or buy -- or offer to sell or buy -- a child. A conviction is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
The provision -- included as part of the Uniform Abduction Prevention Act -- stems from a 2008 case in which a woman in Yalobusha County, Mississippi, attempted to sell her granddaughter for $2,000 in addition to a car, reports the Jackson Free Press.
As shocking as it may sound, authorities couldn't charge the woman because Mississippi had no law prohibiting the practice, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Flying in the face of creepy Craigslist contacts, the Louisiana Craigslist user seems to have saved the day in this case. She reported the alleged baby sale offer to the Mississippi Department of Human Services, which notified the sheriff's office and took custody of the child.
Bobbie Jo Stojic was released from jail after posting $5,000 bond. A grand jury is set to consider whether to file charges, Biloxi's Sun Herald newspaper reports.
Related Resources:
- Bay St. Louis woman accused of offering to sell her baby (Sun Herald)
- WA Woman Tried to Sell Newborn Baby at Taco Bell for $500 (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
- 'Kid for Sale' on eBay: Woman Puts Girl, 2, up for Auction (FindLaw's Legal Grounds)
- Newborn Left on Beach Despite Safe Haven Law (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
