Police investigate facebook post offering 4 year old for adoption

A family in Dubuque, Iowa was reportedly investigated by police recently after a member of the clan, whose name has been withheld in the local news story, wrote a post on Facebook that offered up their 4-year-old for adoption. 

“I need some help,” began her note, posted over the weekend to the private, 4,000-member DBQ Mamas group in Dubuque and re-published Monday.

“Does anyone know a family who would like to adopt a 4 year old girl. My parents adopted her but got new jobs and they have no time for her. I have 3 kids of my own and can not handle another. Serious inquiries only.“ 

Dubuque Police Lt. Scott Baxter said his department got “several calls” about the post and dispatched an officer to investigate.

“We determined no criminal act had been committed and there was not sufficient probable cause to warrant an arrest or charge,” Baxter said. “The welfare of the 4-year-old was checked and determined satisfactory. To my knowledge, the 4-year-old remained with the adopted parents referenced by the person who made the post.”

Baxter adds that the police department notified the Department of Human Services about the post on Facebook. “Obviously the post was not well thought out, as so many aren’t on social media,” he says.

In a later post (removed by DBQ Mamas administrators, as was the original note, after law enforcement got involved), the woman appeared to backpedal on her intent to re-home the preschooler via social media.

 

"Let me rephrase,” she wrote,“I’m not selling a kid, it was to help find adoption ideas. So calling the police to receive suggestions was ridiculous. She’s safe and fine. So thank you for your help."

 

But upset about the incident has yet to die down.

 

Hundreds of commenters forwarded and posted notes in response to KWWL’s article about the incident on Facebook, where remarks ran from outrage to pity, for everyone involved.

 

“Children are not objects you get then discard when you just don’t have the time,” fumed one commenter.

“YOU BE A RESPONSIBLE ADULT AND MAKE TIME.” Another commenter joined others urging critics to reserve their judgment. “While it’s extremely sad that someone is giving up a child maybe they are trying to give the child a better life, maybe that’s the absolute best thing that they can do.” 

It’s not clear in this case whether or not re-homing, the process of moving an adopted child to another home, was at play. And it is something that’s “not common, thank goodness,” Adam Pertman, President of the National Center on Adoption and Permanency said.

“But it does happen, and it usually happens because a parent doesn’t know what else to do. It’s not jettisoning a kid because they didn’t do their homework. It’s that something awful is happening and the parents don’t know where to turn. Typically it’s after they’ve tried everything and just want to help the child get parented properly.”

 KWWL