After reportedly attempting to sell her newborn baby boy to the “highest bidder” on Facebook, a 21-year-old Texas lady was arrested. She demanded a minimum of $150 upfront before she even went into labor.
After being arrested last week, Juniper Bryson was charged with one count of felony sale or acquisition of a child.
The Houston Police Department was notified on September 23, 2024, that Bryson was trying to sell her unborn kid on the social networking site, according to a probable cause affidavit.
She said in a forum titled “Birthing mothers looking for adoptive parent(s)” the day before, “I am in Houston, Tx but willing to travel if we can arrange that. I do have a lot of pain and am contracting so it needs to be soon.”
Additionally, Bryson asked a family member whether she knew anyone who was attempting to adopt a child.
The baby would test positive for drugs, she also told the family member. Because she did not want the child to enter the foster system, the family member shared on Facebook that a relative was looking for adoptive parents. The message reportedly received a number of responses.
Police were informed by Bryson’s relative that following her Facebook post, Bryson made frequent references to the fact that whoever wanted to adopt the child “was gonna have to compensate” her.
“What do you mean compensate? Like pay you $ for the baby? You want $$ for your baby?!” the relative allegedly stated to Bryson. “That’s illegal, that’s human trafficking.”
According to reports, Bryson said, “No, it’s not; it’s surrogacy. 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.”
The relative informed police that she stopped attempting to assist her right away and posted another message on Facebook about Bryson requesting cash. The relative claims that on September 24, Bryson and the infant were at the hospital “while she waits for the highest bidder.”
When Bryson’s phone was searched, it was discovered that she had sent direct messages to a number of individuals who had replied to her relative’s post.
“I’m not waiting to get paid until after [giving birth],” Bryson allegedly said to a same-sex couple who were traveling from Louisiana to be with her at the hospital, adding that she would “ask for a minimum of 150 bucks up front.” The couple had already sent her money for a lunch when she made the request.
“Juniper [Bryson] sent him a picture of the food she was trying to order, and he sent her money, a total of $25 via Apple Pay to complete the food delivery,” according to the affidavit. “[The prospective parent] stated that 3.5 hours into their trip to Houston, she asked them to send her $150.”
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The prospective parent suggested hiring an attorney to handle the adoption, but Bryson declined, demanded $150, and blocked him, stating that “if her baby wasn’t worth $200 to them, then screw ya’ll.”
According to the affidavit, Bryson speaks with at least seven persons about her need for payment for her child. Bryson is presently being jailed on a $30,000 bond at the Harris County Jail. Her next court appearance is set for November 7.
