The ad’s poster claimed to be a state employee with the Florida Department of Children and Families. In the ad, the alleged employee stated that the baby was a newborn but did not provide any details on the child’s parents or gender. The ad is no longer available on Craigslist.
“Baby is 2 weeks old. It sleeps, don’t make noise at night,” the ad reads, according to the Miami Herald, which first reported the news. “Formula and clothes will give it to you. Can give you the baby 4 year old sister for free.”
The ad’s poster, who said they lived in a “quiet influential neighborhood,” also wrote that they do not “wanna be judged for not wanting these kids.”
According to the Miami Herald, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) launched an investigation into the ad as soon as it was posted on Craigslist Friday.
FDLE spokesperson Gretl Plessinger did not offer any additional details about the case but did confirm that the department has an “active investigation” currently taking place.
The Miami Herald also reported that FDLE agents have already interviewed a woman that might have been behind the post. However, the unidentified woman denied the accusation. Investigators are using computer records to identify the poster’s identity.
This is not the first time that attempts have been made to sell newborn babies on Craigslist. In 2017, a Tennessee man and woman were both charged with aggravated child abuse, child neglect and endangerment for trying to sell their five-month-old son on Craiglist.
During the same year, a Colorado man apologized for posting a Craigslist ad attempting to sell his baby for $2,500. “Healthy white baby for sale cheap. Works fine but leaks out of his eyes occasionally,” the ad read. A police investigation revealed that the ad was a joke and the father had no real intention of selling his baby.