A woman is accused of selling her own child. The mom is suspected of selling her 7-year-old son. Investigators say there are also two little girls, ages 2 and 3, that were in the process of being sold.
Esmeralda Garza, 29, was arrested and charged with sale or purchase of a child, a third degree felony.
Her arrest happened Friday as part of a Department of Public Safety drug investigation.
In a new statement, DPS says they have located the 7-year-old boy that was allegedly sold by his mom. The boy was bought by two men, according to jail records.
The DPS investigation revealed that Garza was also attempting to sell two little girls.
Garza is now in custody in the Nueces County Jail. Her bond is set at $100,000.
First Assistant Attorney Matt Manning says if there is evidence that Garza sold the child with the purpose of trafficking or to perform sexual activities, her charges could be upgraded from a third degree felony, which means 2-10 years in prison, to a second degree felony that could result in up to 20 years in prison.
KRIS 6 News did speak with family members of the little boy and a close family friend. They are extremely distraught about this incident, especially the boy’s father.
Family has not been able to talk to the boy since Friday. They say all three kids are in Child Protective Services.
A man and a woman were also arrested as part of the drug investigation on Friday.
DPS is still investigating this case.
