Mother of all cruelty in Florida
Bid to ‘sell’ tot before discarding her
A heartless Florida mother allegedly tried to sell her toddler for $500 and, when no one took her up on the offer, she abandoned the child last week.
Jessica Woods, 33, was spotted loitering outside an H&R Block location in Palatka, Fla., with her 18-month-old daughter when she was approached by one of the taxpreparer’s employees.
The employee had recognized Woods as the mother who frequented the area and even used Block’s restroom to change her daughter.
Woods at one point was spotted hitting her daughter with her elbow and spanking her inside the bathroom, according to a probable cause affidavit viewed by the Daily Mail.
The next morning, on March 5, Woods was found sleeping on an exterior air conditioning unit while her daughter allegedly was inside a nearby shopping cart with no blankets.
The concerned employee asked the woman if she needed help and Woods allegedly demanded money.
Her demand was not met, but the employee had offered to buy the duo items, which frustrated Woods to the point where she threw her child, according to the outlet.
Later in the day, Woods returned to Block, where she allegedly placed her child on the ground — and the little girl immediately started crawling toward traffic.
‘Offers’ child for $500
The employee picked up the child and Woods asked whether she wanted to purchase her daughter.
“Woods told the citizen she did not need anything but, offered to sell the child to the citizen for $500,” the Palatka Police Department said in a press release. “When the citizen refused to purchase the child, Woods walked away, leaving her daughter behind.”
Officers brought the child into their care until the Department of Children and Families arrived and took custody of the girl.
“As a result of an investigation, Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Woods charging her with child abuse, child neglect, and abandonment of a child.”
The child has since been into foster care.
Woods was located March 7 and charged with six felonies, according to jail records viewed by The Post.
She was placed into Putnam County Jail and booked for selling or surrendering a minor for put money or property, unlawful desertion of a child, aggravated child abuse, and three counts of abuse child without great bodily harm.
The charges added up to a bond of $255,000, according to court records.
In 2022, a Florida sex offender was arrested when he allegedly tried to “purchase” an 8-year-old girl for $100,000 at a grocery store.
Hellmuth Kolb had been on probation and was banned from having contact with children after trying to buy a different child in Walmart in 2018, according to WESH-TV.