Police in Holly Hill, Florida, arrested a 44-year-old grandmother who was attempting to sell her 8-week-old grandson, authorities say. According to ABC News, Patty Bigbee made a deal with an unnamed person in October to turn over a baby boy for money. Bigbee was arrested on Friday, Nov. 7, when money exchanged hands in a parking lot in Daytona Beach.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the contacted party came to them after Patty Bigbee offered to sell them a baby boy for $75,000. The contact said that they had haggled with Bigbee and got the price down to $30,000. The contact became a confidential informant and agreed to participate in the completion of the transaction.
Police arrested Patty Bigbee after the money and the child were exchanged near Daytona Speedway. The grandmother was charged with illegal sale or surrender of a child and communication fraud.
Bigbee’s 42-year-old boyfriend, Lawrence Works, was also arrested. He was charged with charged with being a principal to the illegal sale or surrender of a child.
The child’s mother, Stephanie Bigbee-Davis, is also in jail on unrelated charges of organized fraud. According to Florida Department of Children and Families, the father could not be contacted. The child would remain in protective custody until alternate arrangements could be made on its behalf.
FDLE Special Agent Wayne Ivey told WFTV in Orlando, “When you look at this where the grandmother was willing to sell her own grandchild obviously to some degree for profit, it’s appalling.”
The grandmother’s attempts at selling her grandson is just the latest story of someone attempting to sell a child.
In Evangeline Parrish, Louisiana, in February of last year, Donna Greenwood was arrested for selling two children placed in her care to a couple for the price of a cockatoo and $175. All parties involved were charged with aggravated kidnapping.
A report out of California just the month before found a California man arrested for selling his own 14-year-old daughter for $14,000, 100 crates of beer, and some cases of meat to an 18-year-old suitor. Authorities found out about the deal when the father called police on the buyer for reneging on the deal.
