A mother from Jacksonville said she experienced a terrifying situation when a stranger tried to buy her 3-year-old daughter on Facebook.
Single mother Blaire Noirot and authorities said the person behind the Facebook profile could be from anywhere in the world.
Noirot said a man she didn’t know reached out to her on Monday, Aug. 21., offering to buy her 3-year-old daughter for $4,000.
“To me right there that’s the most terrifying thing anybody could ask a parent,” she told WICS.
“I just I was appalled,” she added. “And was like, ‘Are you seriously trying to ask to buy my child,’ and he was like, ‘Yes.’”
The conversation first took place on Facebook messages, with the man asking first, ‘This is a nice child you have here ... I will buy this virgin child for 20."
Soon after the man sent another message, this time he increased the price offering, “I am actually in need of a virgin child,” and “I will up the price to $4,000.”
Noirot said she had to contact her daughter’s school and make sure that no stranger approached her daughter on the bus.
“It’s just scary,” she told WICS. “Like my whole family is just terrified for her to even go to school, like I had to contact the school to let them know about it, and the bus to let them know about it. Like she can’t get off the bus to anybody expect me or my grandpa.”
According to the man’s Facebook profile, police believe the offender may be a man living in Terre Haute, Indiana. But they said that the man could actually be anyone from anywhere in the world.
“I was kind of shocked,” Lt. Doug Thompson told WICS. “That someone was that brazen to put so blatantly on Facebook out in public to ask for something like that.”
Police said the investigation is not currently active, but said they will continue to follow any tips or leads in the incident.
Even though social media cases are difficult in showing proof, Thompson said he considers this particular case similar to human trafficking.
“To me that’s horrible,” he told WICS. “By definition, trafficking, I mean, you’re taking someone from their loved ones and you’re basically keeping them as a servant and that’s no way to live for anybody.”
But Thompson said it’s difficult determining the person behind the profile and whether it is a real account.
“It could be somebody that you know,” Noirot said. “It could be somebody that’s been watching you for a long time, and I highly recommend not talking to anybody on Facebook that you do not know.”
Noirot told WICS she is not looking to press any charges against the man.
Instead, she warns others to stay safe and be aware of the dangers on the internet.
“I want her to be safe always,” she told WICS.
