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A proud mother found herself under investigation for human trafficking for joking about her three-year-old son on Twitter.
“This time last week, I was the subject of a human-trafficking investigation,” Magnolia State Live writer Alex McDaniel wrote in October.
“The saga began when a caseworker and supervisor from Child Protection Services (CPS) dropped by my office with a Lafayette County sheriff’s deputy,” she wrote.
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The two told the writer she was under investigation because someone called CPS and reported a Tweet.
McDaniel had written, “3-year-old for sale. $12 or best offer.” The Tweet was a gag based on something McDaniel’s son had said.
“That tweet was what the caller used as evidence that I was a threat to the well-being of my child,” McDaniel wrote. “And it was that tweet that sparked the most hellish week of my life as I prepared for a home visit in which my case worker would inspect my home and the possibility of more interviews with my son.”
“All because enough people believed I was actually trying to sell my son on Twitter for $12,” McDaniel wrote.
Fortunately, McDaniel was able to hire an attorney, who got the case dismissed.
McDaniel thinks the tip was made by someone who does not like her columns. Unfortunately, the informant can never be held accountable because tips to CPS are kept confidential in Mississippi.
“What upsets me more is the idea of anyone using an agency designed to protect Mississippi’s most vulnerable children as a weapon to take someone down for no legitimate reason, McDaniel wrote.
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