A Missouri babysitter was arrested by the FBI this week after she tried to sell the three children under her care on the online auction site eBay.
According to the FBI, 37-year-old Janet Miller was hired through an online agency to watch over three young children aged between 2 and 6 years old while their mother was working.
Less than an hour after the mother left for work that morning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received a report from the Missouri Department of Social Services about a disturbing auction on eBay.
According to FBI spokesman, Jim McElroy, investigators were shocked by the nature and the wording of the ad. Fortunately, they were able to rapidly identify the origin of the auction thanks to the cooperation of eBay.
“The description of the children was very disturbing to read. She described them as if they were cars, noting their color and year of birth. She even called the toddler ‘almost new’ and wrote that the 6-year old was in ‘mint condition’ .”
“She admitted that she intended to sell the kids for drug money, and said she hoped to get at least $100 for the three. She put a starting price of $10!”
Miller was arrested less than two hours after listing the children online and rapidly confessed to her crime.
Miller had definitely underestimated the interest her ad would get as her auction attracted a total of 1,600 bids in the 2 hours it was online and had already reached a price of $27,200.
Janet Miller now faces a total of 31 criminal charges, including human trafficking, conspiracy to commit human trafficking, kidnapping and child endangerment.
Her lawyer has demanded a psychiatric evaluation before the beginning of the procedures, claiming that her drug addiction and mental problems make her unfit to stand trial.
