Authorities say a Texas woman was arrested last week after allegedly attempting to purchase a mother’s child at a Walmart store.
According to jail records, Rebecca Lanette Taylor, 49, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with the sale or purchase of a child, a third-degree offense.
Taylor allegedly approached a mother with her child in a car seat and her one-year-old kid in a shopping cart at the checkout section of a Walmart in Crockett, about 120 miles north of Houston, on Jan. 13.
Taylor allegedly complimented on the woman’s son’s blonde hair and blue eyes and asked “how much she could have him for,” according to the probable cause statement obtained by NBC News.
“I attempted to laugh it off,” the mother stated, mistaking Taylor for a prankster. Taylor told her she had $250,000 in the car and was willing to spend that much on him. According to the affidavit, “(the mother) told her that no amount of money would be enough.”
Taylor’s mother warned her to stay away from her son.
According to the affidavit, “Taylor indicated he was the perfect fit,” and “she had been wanting to acquire a kid for a long time.”
Taylor’s mother told investigators that she was with another lady when asked about the child’s name, but she refused.
According to the sworn statement, Taylor and the other woman learned the child’s identity and began “calling him by his name.”
The parent waited for the two women to leave the store before heading to her car.
According to the complaint, Taylor allegedly screamed at the mother in the parking lot, “claiming that if she didn’t take $250,000 for him, she would give $500,000 because she wanted him and will take him.”
Taylor climbed into the car and parked it next to her mother’s black SUV. According to the complaint, Taylor insisted she wanted the child and would pay $500,000 in cash for him. She climbed into the black SUV and drove away.
According to authorities, the mother’s claim was supported by CCTV footage from the store.
The officer who filed the affidavit came to Taylor’s house and questioned her about the event.
“She told me she doesn’t like thieves and that I needed to talk to her attorney and get off her ‘cliff.'” According to the affidavit, “she slammed the door shut.”
According to jail records, she had bonded out of Houston County Jail on Thursday. Taylor could not be reached for any comment, and it was unclear whether she had retained a counsel.
If convicted, she will face at least two years in prison and a maximum of ten years, plus a fine of up to $10,000 under the Texas Penal Code.
