A 21-year-old Houston mother faces felony charges after allegedly attempting to auction her newborn on Facebook, demanding cash payments from potential adopters and promising the child to the “highest bidder.”
Juniper Bryson posted the illegal adoption offer in a Facebook group titled “Birthing mothers looking for adoptive parent(s)” two days before giving birth, according to court documents. “I am in Houston, Tx but willing to travel if we can arrange that,” she wrote on September 22, adding, “I do have a lot of pain and am contracting so it needs to be soon.”
The scheme unraveled when Bryson asked a relative to help post adoption messages, insisting that prospective parents would need to “compensate” her. When the relative warned, “That’s illegal, that’s human trafficking,” Bryson allegedly responded, “No it’s not, it’s surrogacy,” court records show.
Investigators discovered Bryson had directly messaged at least seven potential adopters, including a Louisiana same-sex couple who traveled toward Houston before Bryson demanded “$150 upfront.” When they suggested involving legal counsel, Bryson allegedly blocked them, stating “if her baby wasn’t worth $200 to them, then screw ya’ll.”
Houston Police Department launched an investigation after being alerted by Wendy Williams, one of the prospective adopters who contacted Child Protective Services. The relative told police Bryson remained in the hospital with the newborn on September 24 “while she waits for the highest bidder.”
Bryson attempted to justify the payments, telling one contact she needed “Just enough to move into an apartment so I can work a job and get [my daughter] back, or a cheap down payment, or any car to get to different places to DoorDash. Nothing crazy at all.”
Currently held in Harris County Jail on $30,000 bond, Bryson faces one count of felony sale or purchase of a child. She is scheduled to appear in court November 7. The Texas Department of Family Services declined to comment specifically on the case but noted that family members or friends receive first consideration for child placement in state custody cases.
Source: the-sun.com
