Mother Sells Baby On $2,000 Installment Plan

It’s a sad state of affairs when a mother tries to sell her 7-week-old infant to another woman for a couple thousand dollars. But that’s precisely what happened with Joana Delacruz Huerta, 29, who apparently sold her baby to 28-year-old Marilu Munoz for $2,000 to be paid off in an installment plan.

“This is the first time in my 13 years that I remember [a mother selling her child] happening,” said police Sergeant Lynn Beard during a press conference.

The Texas women have since been charged with the sale or purchase of an infant and Huerta is currently in Taylor County Jail, while the infant is with Child Protective Services. Both women may face more charges ranging from falsifying names on a birth certificate and medical fraud issues, according to CBS News.[tagbox tag=”bad parenting”]

Huerta, who has a criminal history, admitted to police that she had been pregnant and told officers where she thought the baby was. It’s unknown who the baby’s biological father is or how Huerta and Munoz know each other.

It’s difficult to understand what would cause a mother sell her child under any circumstance, though the word ‘desperate’ certainly comes to mind. Just last month, we wrote about a Delaware mom of three who sold her newborn son for $15,000 so that she could take her other two sons to Disney World. And, in August, we heard about Jessica Merie Beers, who offered up her 5-year-old son to a couple from her church (it was reportedly to feed her drug habit). Then, of course, there’s the Australian mom who put her two young children up for sale on eBay (highest bidder wins!).

Few details are known about the Huerta/Munoz case at this point, though Munoz says she’s been working with a lawyer for the last couple of months in an attempt to adopt the child, reports kcent.com. We can only hope that these women get the help they need and, first and foremost, that the child ends up healthy and safe in a loving home.

(Photo: Ventura/Shutterstock)