Human trafficking? Is this really how it happens? Last week a man started complimenting a mom’s 2 -year-old at the store, and actually gave her $100. Yes, that IS strange. Says Inside Local:
In a crime described by police as both bizarre and disturbing, two men tried to buy a woman’s 2-year-old son as she shopped at a Covina supermarket Wednesday, officials said.
Both the woman and child got away unharmed following the 7:40 p.m. encounter at the Baja Ranch Supermarket, 425 S. Citrus Ave., which detectives are investigating as an attempted human trafficking case, West Covina police Lt. Tim Doonan said.
Two men took part in the crime, police said. One approached the woman and child, while the other remained in the suspects’ SUV.The first suspect walked up to the woman as she was checking out, Sgt. Gregg Peterson said in a written statement. He began complimenting the woman, telling her that both she and her son were beautiful.
“The suspect asked the woman if she wanted to sell her son, and when she told him no, the suspect continued with the compliments, but they were focused solely on her son.”
So here’s the follow up story, four days later:
An act of generosity by a man who said he “wants to bless others” was mistaken for attempted child trafficking after a “misunderstanding” in a Southern California supermarket, police said Friday.
A woman told police that a man was complimenting her son at the cash register inside Baja Ranch Market in Covina on Wednesday. She said the man was very persistent with his comments.
When she and the boy went to their car in the parking lot, the man from the store was with another man parked next to them. She said the men offered her $100 to purchase her son.
After police released surveillance images of the men hoping the public would recognize them, they went to the police station to say it was an act of kindness gone wrong.
The man was celebrating the anniversary of his business and the boy reminded him of himself as a child. He felt giving the mom this money was sort of a thank you to God.
The bigger point: As odd as this incident was, human traffickers are not out there, randomly offering $100 to parents for their kids. Talk about a low-yield crime. – L
53 Comments
Interesting how this bizarre story got to be labeled as human trafficking. When a story comes into the newsroom, they have a choice of any of the 3 stamps to put on it. Sex, Outrage, or Fear is how any story is colored before it is given to the public. In spite of this, I put most of the blame on the viewing public that demand stories that sensationalize.
If you’re sick of this, vote with your feet. Walk out. There are more activities that can be done other than watching the News.
A human trafficker who simply compliments a random mother and offers her $100 for her kid.
I guess that would have been the opposite of the mastermind criminal driven in equal measures by rank evil and a love of intensive research…?
(Btw, how come she didn’t curse the crap out of him for only offering $100 for her precious snowflake?)
I’ve had a distant cousin be arrested for trying to SELL his child, but I’ve never heard of anyone try to approach a parent and buy a child. Although I did have a gentlemen annoy me at the store by telling my child he would take him home. (It was Christmas; my son was throwing a fit in the store.) I think he meant well, but really people should be saying dumb things like either. It’s lying to scare a child.
How did the woman get the idea that the men wanted to buy her son? Was there a language barrier, or a joking comment that was misinterpreted? A hundred bucks seems like a lot of money to offer a complete stranger, but maybe he thought the lady looked like she could use it?
As a former adorable little blonde girl, LOTS of people used to come up to my mother and gush over me, asking if they could take me home with them. (They never offered her cash, fortunately, or she might have taken them up on it.) Her reaction was always lighthearted laughter rather than “OMG! Human trafficking! Call the police!”
Do people just see bad intent everywhere now, or do we only hear about the nutso cases?
Aw geez. We live in California; and my grandma has this thing when she sees small children with their families, she’ll say something like “now which one is coming home with me?”.
OK so sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But what an insanely creepy, and stupid, thing to do.
@Bridget….saying nice things to someone and giving them money is stupid and insanely creepy? Wow….socially awkward, maybe, but hardly creepy. I hope she gets to meet the guy and apologize, and I hope it doesn’t stop him doing nice things for people in the future.
Some mothers need to tone down the hysteria. …few of us are that important or interesting that some random stranger is going to buy our kids. Take photos with them, sure, but buy them to keep? Fuggedaboutit 😊.
I don’t think this story holds up. Why would the woman say they offered to buy her son unless they actually did? I don’t think she would make that up. If he was just wanting to give her the money then why did he not say “If it is okay, can I give this money to you for you to use to buy your son something nice?” I mean speak in plain English people about what you are doing.
It does come across very odd. So maybe he really was trying to buy him and came up with the story of just giving them money to cover. I mean who walks up and hands strangers 100 dollars? Not something that happens often. I don’t blame her for her creep meter going off and I believe her that he actually did offer to buy him. She has no reason to lie about it.
Either way if this happened to me I probably would have just told him my kids are worth more than $100 and driven away. I would not have felt the need to call the cops. If he was just handing away $100 bills I would happily take it and buy a new purse.
sadly we live in a society that has become so over paranoid when it comes to children. I know lots of moms who get upset when “strangers” talk to their kids. I was in a store one day & an elderly lady asked if she could give my kids some bubbles? My first thought was to say no thank you, I’ve been with friends when this happened & that’s how they handled it. Then I though about it & said yes. Later I though about it & she probably enjoys doing this & maybe she doesn’t have young grand children. Why take away someones joy when it does no harm.
I prefer to shop for babies in the scratch and dent aisle because I love bargains.
I had the most adorable baby girl in front of me today at the grocery store. She was getting whiney and her mom was trying to deal with a toddler as he was escaping the car and getting the gimmies and asking for candy. So I made my best funny faces and actively flirted with this beautiful baby. Her mom smiled at me and said she used to be very shy and scared of strangers but now she loves them. Mom got through checkout with no meltdowns and thanked me for entertaining her baby.
Then I read this sh@t and realize someone could consider my baby oogling as sex trafficking??! Is the mom who reported this getting a mental health evaluation? How deluded are people to think someone would buy a supermarket baby for $100?
The going rate (depending on whether or not they are screaming bloody murder) is at least $200. Unless they are scratch and dent…
I have given a stranger money before. Call it a ROK if you will, but it was really because I rmemembere being in the same situation that the lady was in and I wanted to help.
Some points:
First, $100 is not much money. I mean, it is a lot if you have none, but if you have money then it is pocket change. If you want to change someone’s day, then $100 is the amount to do it.
Second, the man was in a celebratory mood, and if he wanted to bless someone whom he thought would use the money for good… Who better than a mother with a baby?
Third, all the gushing over the baby (before and after) was probably just him working up the courage to go through with the kind deed, and then afterwards trying not to feel like a rejected fool.
I live in the general area where this occurred and saw an interview with the man on the news. He is actually an immigrant with a very strong accent. He came to this country I think he said 19 years ago. He started as a box boy at a grocery store and worked his way up to where he is now- a very successful business man. Having $100 in his wallet was not a big deal. He explained that he was shopping with a friend who is a pastor for food to share with others (can’t remember if it was for charity or a party). He saw the lady in front of him and it felt to him like she could use a hand. He was shocked when video footage of he and his friend appeared on the news. He went to the police to clear everything up. I have no idea why she thought he wanted to buy the baby. Maybe there are facts that have been obscured or maybe she just assumed the worst. It seems much more likely to me that a successful immigrant business man would want to pay if forward than that he would want to buy a baby, but that is because I try to assume the best about people.
Well maybe he said “I want to give you $100 for your son” and she simply misunderstood?
Call me crazy, but if I had the money to offer to give away $100, I would spring for a lawyer before going down to the police station. I trust strangers, but I’m not so sure with government.
When I was stationed in Korea, I opted for the “accompanied” tour, which was longer, but allowed me to take my family. I had twins, AND dimpled blonde babies, that really did look like dolls. The locals would ooohhh and ahhh and usually have someone that spoke English approach me with a compliments. At no time did I ever feel threatened or fear for my children or our safety. Our family vacation in Hawaii consisted of being followed and photographed by Japanese tourist because I had not one, but two sets of twins. When we finally realized why they were so fascinated, we would all smile and pose. We actually made good friends, that we are still in touch with, and hope to visit in Japan, by being open and no taking the worst first approach to life.
We have a Facebook page in my area where people can go write nice things people have done for them. There are always stories of people giving money to others or paying for the car behind them in a drive thru. There have been many stories of moms being given money in the checkout line. No one has ever called the cops because someone did a good deed for them.
Okay that makes more sense like it was a language miscommunication. I don’t really fault either party then at that point. Maybe he could have used better more exact language and maybe she could have not overreacted as much. Probably fault on both parties but no harm no foul.
“I don’t think this story holds up. Why would the woman say they offered to buy her son unless they actually did? ”
Really SOA? There stories on this site every couple of weeks about people making non-events into bizarre attempts at harming children, and you don’t believe someone would freak out over a man approaching her, mentioning the child, and offering her money?
I’m so glad at least this story has a follow up. Unfortunately, many times we get: “Man tries to lure girl into his van” but if you look into the details of the story it makes more logical sense that the man and the girl were from the same neighborhood and actually knew each other, but the “victim” misunderstood what was going on. Then, for the next 6 months to a year, you’ve got people who don’t bother to look for all the facts, locking their kids inside because supposedly there’s a “predator” lurking; ready to strike at any minute!
I think this is just a thing old people say. I’ve had people say stuff like that to me at the grocery store. “I’ll give you $50 for him! No!?! How ’bout $100? Not for sale? Let me know if you change your mind!”
I’d almost bet it was part of some pre-1940 comedy routine and these people are just quoting. I didn’t take offense.
@SOA: You don’t think that a person offering a stranger $100 as a random act of kindness holds up because it doesn’t happen often. How often, exactly, do you think that child traffickers approach strangers in the U.S. in public parking lots monitored by surveillance cameras, offer them $100 for a child, and then casually walk away when the mother does not accept the offer, later voluntarily showing up at the police to explain the situation?
I know that there’s a group of “secret tippers” in our area who sometimes randomly leave $1000 tips at restaurants. Nobody knows who they are, but they leave notes on their bill much akin to what this guy says: that they feel blessed and want to pass that blessing on to others. So I don’t find the idea of somebody offering a stranger $100 all that odd, while I find the idea of somebody who casually (and poorly) engaging in human trafficking totally unfathomable.
I definitely do not see this as “no harm, no foul.” Making a paranoid, wrong accusation of a crime as serious as child trafficking is not a minor thing. It shows the crazy mentality of so many parents. And it also is going to make this country a less friendly place. Maybe the next person who was considering a RAOK like that will not do it now, for fear of being seen as a child trafficker and turned over to the police. Maybe the next person who wants to compliment somebody’s adorable baby is going to keep quiet for fear of being thought a creep or predator.
Those aren’t good things. Anybody who values community has to be concerned about actions that punish friendliness, generosity, and neighborliness. *This* makes your kids less safe, because it’s why people will not intervene if your child actually does need help. So many people are afraid to approach children under any circumstances–even the most generous and kind ones, like this–because of reactions like this. That’s a harm and a foul.
I forgot to say in my previous post that when they came back to the studio anchor after the report where they interviewed the gentleman in question, the anchor quipped, “Well, better safe than sorry!” As anonymous mom, above, alluded to so well, no I don’t think so!
How much for the little girl?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDXYzUlv0S8
I feel sad for this lady. Communication problems aside, she must have some self-image problems to believe that someone would offer only 100 dollars for her child. People who buy children from shady adoption agencies will pay thousands, but her’s is only 100?
The difference in the thousand dollar tips is they leave it appropriately in the tip line. This man approached her in the store then followed her out to her car. Not the way I would have handled it. If I truly wanted to give her a 100 dollars I would have followed her to the check out line and then offered to pay for her groceries. That is a clear cut way to handle it so there is no odd feelings or mixed messages or them feeling pressured to speak to me.
The man did not handle it the best way possible so he is just as guilty if you ask me. He used odd language and followed her to her car. I would be a bit put off if someone followed me to my car as well. I don’t like being followed by people period.
But in general I think giving random people money is stupid. Go donate to a charity instead.
She overreacted and did not need to call the cops but that man came off like a bit of a weirdo. There are plenty of ways to do RAOK that are not going to offend anyone. I should know because I do them all the time and so far most people don’t even know I did them nor did I impose on anyone.
@Cassie I have also given strangers money for the same reason you have: a couple of years ago I had virtually nothing and I was always so touched when someone would lend me a few dollars for diapers our whatever. Being poor showed me how the system is stacked against poor people making it very hard to get out of poverty. Fast forward a few years and I have more than enough for today, so I frequently help others who are in bad situations where they can’t seem to catch up. And you’re right, $100 is nothing to me but it makes a big difference when you don’t have it. When I first started reading this story I had a gut feeling it was more likely someone giving a mother money, not a scheme to buy a child.
Yeah, I just don’t see this method as a win for the sex-traffickers that are apparently hiding behind every bush…unless of course they’re approaching moms in the grocery store.
Light-hearted children’s poem or sinister warning?
THE GYPSIES ARE COMING – Shel Silverstein
The gypsies are coming, the old people say,
To buy little children and take them away.
Fifty cents for fat ones,
Twenty cents for lean ones,
Fifteen cents for dirty ones,
Thirty cents for clean ones,
A nickel each for mean ones.
The gypsies are coming, and maybe tonight,
To buy little children and lock them up tight.
Eighty cents for husky ones,
Quarter for the weak ones,
Penny each for noisy ones,
A dollar for the meek ones.
Forty cents for happy ones,
Eleven cents for sad ones.
And, kiddies, when they come to buy,
It won’t do any good to cry.
But—just between yourself and I—
They NEVER buy the bad ones!
“Anybody who values community has to be concerned about actions that punish friendliness, generosity, and neighborliness. *This* makes your kids less safe, because it’s why people will not intervene if your child actually does need help. So many people are afraid to approach children under any circumstances—even the most generous and kind ones, like this—because of reactions like this. That’s a harm and a foul.”
And it is NOT better safe than sorry. If you google this story, it’s all over the place but very few have the actual facts of this man who was wrongly accused of sex trafficking. So seeds of fear of Hispanics and Honda Pilot drivers are still floating around there to infest paranoia.
This sounds clearly like a clash of cultural differences. Uptight helicopter mom gets complimented by emotionally expressive Latino and goes Defcon 5 in irrational fear thinking he actually wants to buy her baby instead of smiling that yes, she is blessed with one beautiful baby.
A few years ago,we met our city friends for dinner a Vietnamese restaurant. The staff did not had the best English but made a killer Pho. We ordered by number and it was very kid-friendly so communication wasn’t an issue. They magically appeared when things were spilled and refilled water like ninjas. Our friends had an 8 month-old girl who was happily noshing on cheerios when the waiter asked if he could *eat* baby. He repeated to giggles from my kids if he could eat baby. Seems he wanted to know if the baby wanted to eat something from the menu. It never crossed my mind to report him for attempted baby cannibalism.
“Not the way I would have handled it. ”
SOA, this is exactly the problem. You can say it’s not the way you would have handled it. You can explain why it wasn’t the smart way to do it. You can criticize the guy up one side and down the other for being dumb in the way he tried to do a really, really nice thing.
None of that makes it .00001% better or more reasonable that the guy’s less than optimal method of proceeding was greeted with hysteria instead of the mom rationally asking herself what was likely to be going on here, because a guy proceeding in a less than optimal way to do something harmless or kind was about 1,000,000 times more likely than a guy trying to buy a random child for real from its own parents in public, in the U.S. You just can’t defend the reaction here, criticize the guy though you might.
SOA, he didn’t follow her to the car, they were parked beside each other, which he took as another sign to help.
Hmm, someone in that story was looney, and I am not sure which one.
My mom swears that more than one person offered to buy my little brother when he was a tot. He was really the cutest baby. Except when he was being a holy terror at home, LOL. People do sell their kids for a 6-pack of beer etc. But the fact that the guys turned themselves in – and they told a story that could be checked (it was the anniversary of their business) – makes me side more with the guys on this one. I think the mom was embellishing a little for attention or something.
Of course every mom thinks her kid is the most gorgeous kid there ever was, so maybe it was easy for her to make the leap to “they want to possess my kid.” I dunno.
Remember the days when everyone would tell little kids “I’m going to take you home with me” and “I’m gonna eat you up” and all sorts of inappropriate, perverted things? Terrible, terrible. Amazing we all survived intact.
Do people really sell their babies for a six pack of beer? Are there documented cases of this happening?
And, if they do, was it because they happened to be in the grocery store as the same time as a child trafficker who came up to them apropos of nothing and offered them a six-pack for their baby, an offer they realized they just could not refuse?
I honestly do not believe that child trafficking is a real problem in the United States. People are not buying babies for $100 in grocery store parking lots. That is not happening, ever.
In fact, I do wonder about a lot of the child trafficking stories we hear, and how many are misunderstandings. I remember watching what was supposed to be a “shocking” video of a photographer who had been doing volunteer work in Africa describing a time they were approached by a person wanting to sell their child. The story went that this photographer had been taking pictures of local children, and as he did so, this man came up to him and offered him $50 “for his child.” Apparently this photographer interpreted it to mean that this man was offering to sell his child to him for $50, and he was completely outraged, and turned down the offer. The man left. It seemed to me at the time–and seems even more likely now reading this story–that the man was saying that he’d let the photographer take pictures of his child if he paid the father $50. He wasn’t selling his child; he was trying to negotiate some payment for the child being used in the photographs. But, of course, we love to jump to the worst possible conclusions, and so have no problem swallowing that Africans are so evil that they just to up to any white person they see and sell their babies for small sums of money.
SKL, I guarantee that nobody was seriously offering to buy your brother. They were joking.
Child trafficking is a massively serious felony. Do we really think that child traffickers would just approach random moms in public and offer to buy their children? Anybody who would just come up to you and offer to buy your child is joking. And any parent who says they’d take them up on it is joking back.
I noticed that another Blues Brothers fan has already posted the “Chez Paul” scene from the movie–that’s the first thing I thought of when this discussion started. “We need your horn, man!”
No, seriously, it does happen. Usually in the context of a strung-out mom needing drug money or whatever.
Not that long ago, there was a publicized case of a 5yo girl who was sold (or prostituted?) by her mom, and ended up being murdered as well as raped.
Of course in all the documented cases I’ve heard of, the mom was willing, and sometimes you hear of a mom being arrested because whoever she approached as a “buyer” called the police.
As for whether child trafficking is an issue in the US, reasonable minds can differ, I guess. I don’t believe it is something I should worry about, but I have friends who disagree. I should note that one of those friends is from India (where trafficking is a real problem), and one of them is a conspiracy theorist about everything. But they claim to be in the know about these things. 😉 Where we do have a problem is with minors who are sexually maturing / mature.
@anonymous mom – our pastor was offered a baby in Cambodia while on a mission trip a few years ago, so it does happen. I don’t think anyone considered the parents evil for making the offer, just desperate.
@SOA – as it appears this chap was an immigrant with some possible English language issues, it stands to reason that he wouldn’t have handled things the same way as you…..he comes from a different, obviously less paranoid culture. Which isn’t that hard, as it seems sometimes that apart from this group, America is a dangerously paranoid set of people.
Worst first thinking on my part, of course. …
Have you heard the stories about how much your donation goes to funding the charities’ fundraising efforts and employee salaries? I’d rather give my money to a stranger. At least, that way I can see the gratitude in the person’s face. Well, I’d hope for gratitude.
“Do people really sell their babies for a six pack of beer? Are there documented cases of this happening?
And, if they do, was it because they happened to be in the grocery store as the same time as a child trafficker who came up to them apropos of nothing and offered them a six-pack for their baby, an offer they realized they just could not refuse?”
Exactly. Insofar as there are documented cases of desperate, addicted people selling their kids for a low amount to get a fix, or something along those lines, I can guarantee you they do not play out with a perfect stranger approaching the parent in a public place and initiating the transaction.
Child trafficking is an issue, but strangers aren’t usually involved from the reports I’ve seen. Usually mom’s boyfriend it seems.
And this may be a case of good old fashioned xenophobia. Oh my god he talks funny! RUN!!!!!
Where have we gone wrong in society when someone saying something along the lines of “for your son” when they hand you money in the parking lot means that they want to buy your son? Never would have occurred to me. I would assume that they are giving my son money. No matter how bad their English was.
A couple months ago, my daughter won 4 tickets to a snow tubing place. We finally went on Saturday, but our 4th couldn’t come at the last minute. I found someone waiting to buy tickets and handed them the extra. They were actually grateful and did not have me arrested. Refreshing.
You’ll have to understand the spirit in which this is submitted, but there comes a time in every parents life–usually when their child is around 2 years of age, plus or minus, when $100 would seem like a quite generous and attractive offer. If offered at the correct time, it might just be a sale.
Those who have grown children will know exactly what I mean.
Lenore (and anyone else interested), if you haven’t listened to this episode of This American Life, you have to check it out! It’s so fascinating and inspiring!
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/544/batman
I think the real story here is how pathetically inept and incapable we can sometimes be of understanding others.
And in our misunderstanding, can jump to the worst conclusions, instead of giving someone the benefit of the doubt.
Imagining easily and effortlessly a horrific agenda, instead of maintaining a firm posture of common sense.
Could this actual man really have had that agenda? Really?
Fear of the “other.” (an accent, a complexion, a cultural shift.)
Why is it that a supposed potential “victim” can be practically praised for stupidity, and a perfectly innocent person become swept aside and snowed under in the heat of percieved threat that does not exist?
Another example of adults acting in ways that reduce them to childish lack of accountability for their actions.
The actual children we forgive…..they’re kids after all.
Same old question: where was the ‘adult’ in the picture?
Furiously maintaining some inept and innocently oblivious inability to properly read a situation.
I dunno……figure it wouldn’t be impossible to know the difference between a random act of kindness, and evil intent.
He was a a pervert Mexican man hitting on a pretty woman,ignorant border jumpers cause they have a business in this country they think they could buy anything,typical frkn Ranchero
He was a a pervert Mexican man hitting on a pretty woman,ignorant border jumpers cause they have a business in this country they think they could buy anything,typical frkn Ranchero,this beaner just covering his ass
They do that in there country probably has a business with bunch of illegals working there so he thinks he could do what he wants and get away with it arrogant, ignorant ,probably can read or write these Mexicans get wealthy out of ripping there own people off that was solicitation charge most likely liked the mom
True Story: I have unusually beautiful children. When my oldest was about six she was taking riding lessons at a well known stable for about two years and getting a bit of attention because she was very good for one so little. She was even asked by several owners to show their ponies because quite frankly an adorable child who could ride well sold could make an easy sale…. Well one day this woman comes up to me and wants to buy one of my eggs! She seriously wanted to buy
“some of whatever that girl had in her” I dont know if she had been breeding horses too long or what but she was dead serious she offered me 2000 dollars for “one harvest of eggs”
>They do that in there country probably has a business with >bunch of illegals working there so he thinks he could do what >he wants and get away with it arrogant, ignorant ,probably can >read or write t
I agree, he probably can read or write – in fact, he can probably do both. He probably also does other stupid things like triple-posting racist comments.
The person that brought up charities-yes I do research the charities I donate too. I only donate to ones I know are valuable.
Secondly the other way I do RAOK and charity is helping out people I know. Like buying school supplies for my friend that homeschools when they had no money due to her husband being out of work a long time. Or helping them buy christmas gifts for their kids one year.
I would not feel comfortable going up to a complete stranger and offering to do the above. I find someone I know that needs it truly and won’t be creeped out by my offer.
I’m not buying the “I was just being nice!” story. Creep alert HIGH, here. You don’t compliment a child and give the parents $100 for no reason. Read Gavin de Becker’s books.