Mom investigated for child trafficking after joking on Twitter
OXFORD, Miss. (WCMH) – A mom in Mississippi thought she was sending a lighthearted tweet when she posted selling her 3-year-old son. Someone following her on social media didn’t think it was funny.
“All I could think of was that this was a horrible misunderstanding,” Alex McDaniel told WMC-TV.
Recently McDaniel tweeted, “3yo for sale. $12 OBO.”
McDaniel thought she was being funny, however, someone who saw the tweet was offended and contacted Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office and Child Protective Services and accused her of child trafficking.
“Anybody who would do that-try to break up a family or to try to silence somebody-is just inexcusable,” McDaniel said.
Investigators determined McDaniel was only joking in the tweet, but she hopes there’s a little more caution from authorities when taking an anonymous tip.
“If someone calls in and refuses to leave their information for CPS to follow up, refuses to leave anything for them, just drops a tip, I don’t think tips like those should be treated the same as others,” McDaniel told WMC-TV.