Cops: Mom sold baby on $2,000 installment plan
ABILENE, Texas - Abilene authorities allege that a mother sold her 7-month-old baby to another woman for $2,000, to be paid off in an installment plan.
Abilene Police Sgt. Lynn Beard said at a Friday press conference that a department unit was tipped off by an anonymous source that a mother had sold her baby. Upon following up, they found that 29-year-old Joana Delacruz Huerta had apparently sold her child to 27-year-old Marilu Munoz. The authorities allege that some of the "installments" on the $2,000 fee have already been paid.
"This is the first time in my 13 years that I remember [a mother selling her child] happening," Beard said during the press conference according to video obtained by the Abilene Reporter-News.
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Huerta and Munoz were charged with the sale or purchase of an infant, and remained in the Taylor County Jail on Friday, CBS affiliate KHOU in Houston, Texas reported. Beard added that Huerta had a criminal history, and the two may face more charges ranging from falsifying names on a birth certificate and medical fraud issues.
The infant is now in the care of Child Protective Services. It was unharmed and appeared to be in healthy condition, according to Beard.
Beard added it will take several weeks to figure out what all the charges will be. If convicted of the third degree sale and purchase felony alone, both women face a $10,000 fine and could be incarcerated for up to 10 years, according to KHOU.
