Police: Mother sold child to couple in exchange for car

LEXINGTON, N.C. (AP) – A grand jury in North Carolina has indicted three people after police say a mother sold her 2-year-old child to a couple for a car.

The Dispatch of Lexington reports the Thomasville Police Department says detectives began an investigation in July after a hospital report of a 2-year-old child with bruises.

Investigators said 47-year-old Tina Marie Chavis told hospital workers that she was the child’s mother. Chavis then claimed to have adopted the child, but couldn’t produce documentation. Investigators later learned that 45-year-old Alice Leann Todd gave the child to Chavis and 53-year-old Vicenio Mendoza in exchange for a car last year.

All three are now charged with unlawful sale, surrender or purchase of a minor and jailed under a $50,000 bond apiece. It’s not known if they have attorneys.

Information from: The Dispatch, http://www.the-dispatch.com

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