'Three-year-old for sale, $12 or best offer': Mississippi mom investigated by Child Protective Services for HUMAN TRAFFICKING after cracking a joke about her toddler on Twitter

  • News editor Alex McDaniel is known for tweeting about her toddler son's funny quotes
  • Recently, she joked about selling her child, a classic parenting punch line
  • The tweet was taken seriously by an anonymous tipster who launched a child protection services investigation
  • Alex was shocked at work by a caseworker and had to pull her son out of school for the day for a human trafficking investigation
  • Within days the case was cleared, and but Alex is sharing her feelings about the ordeal on social media

A Mississippi was shocked when a harmless joke she made on Twitter led to an investigation for human trafficking.

Like many mothers, Alex McDaniel has taken to social media to complain about rough days with her child. Recently, however, a remark she meant in jest was taken too seriously by a follower, who reported her to Child Protective Services.

After Alex quipped that she was 'selling' her now four-year-old son for $12 or best offer, she found herself suddenly being investigated for human trafficking by the state. 

Mama drama! Mississippi mom Alex McDaniel got into hot water when she tweeted funny quotes from her child, but one man reported her to child services thinking she crossed the line

Mama drama! Mississippi mom Alex McDaniel got into hot water when she tweeted funny quotes from her child, but one man reported her to child services thinking she crossed the line

Sweet pea! The news editor mom shared a joke, jesting she'd sell her three-year-old son (now four, above) after he said something silly, but it brought Child Protection Services to her door

Sweet pea! The news editor mom shared a joke, jesting she'd sell her three-year-old son (now four, above) after he said something silly, but it brought Child Protection Services to her door

Yikes! She tweeted she'd sell her toddler for $12 or best offer, following one of his fits, but one male tipster seemed to think she was genuinely keen on selling her son

Yikes! She tweeted she'd sell her toddler for $12 or best offer, following one of his fits, but one male tipster seemed to think she was genuinely keen on selling her son

Alex, the director of content at Mississippi news outlet Magnolia State Live, is extremely active on Twitter and took to the platform on October 1 to reflect uponhow her words were misconstrued and used against her, endangering her family members' lives.

'This time last week, I was the subject of a human trafficking investigation.  There’s no punchline. This was real life,' she penned in an opinion piece for Magnolia State Live

The mom was at work when a caseworker and representative form Child Protective Services (CPS) came to her office doorstep to investigate her.

They explained that they received an anonymous male tip days before saying that the editor was attempting to sell her son.

'They told me an anonymous male tipster called Mississippi’s child abuse hotline days earlier to report me for attempting to sell my three-year-old son, citing a history of mental illness that probably drove me to do it,' she wrote.

The tweets in question were from September 22. Alex had quoted a conversation with her son, in which she asked if he needed to use the restroom. After asking if he was sure a couple times, the tot screamed, 'Nothing is coming out of my penis'.

The exasperated mom then jokingly tweeted in a follow-up post 'Three-year-old for sale $12 or best offer [sic],' she tweeted. 

That tweet led one person to think that the mom was truly intent on selling her son, and he reported her to the authorities. 

Just jokes! Alex explains that she's been sharing silly stories of her youngster's quotes on Twitter for years now, and that her controversial tweet was nothing new

Just jokes! Alex explains that she's been sharing silly stories of her youngster's quotes on Twitter for years now, and that her controversial tweet was nothing new

Cheeky! The little one pulls hilarious jokes on his mother, as documented through her page

Cheeky! The little one pulls hilarious jokes on his mother, as documented through her page

Practical joker! The mom was taken aback that anyone could misconstrue her words and could perhaps do it for malicious reasons, jeopardizing her family's safety

Practical joker! The mom was taken aback that anyone could misconstrue her words and could perhaps do it for malicious reasons, jeopardizing her family's safety

'So I went to his preschool, pulled my son out of a deep sleep during nap time, and did everything in my power not to cry in front of him on the drive back to my office,' she shared in her article.

The mom insists that she's been tweeting silly quotes from her son for years, and that this tweet was nothing new. She's even published a piece dedicated to documenting the hilarious things her toddler babbles.

But she was crushed that someone, whether maliciously or not, would accuse of her genuinely trying to sell or even harm her son, and on such a serious level.

Someone out there probably got bent out of shape that I don’t see the world the way he does

'I considered keeping this story to myself because of its personal nature. But as with anything else I’ve written about my life, I do it in situations when I feel like it could help someone else dealing with similar struggles... Coming after my son is utterly despicable,' she said.

'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. 

'Time and resources that should have been spent on children and families who genuinely need it were instead dedicated to a tweet, and all because someone out there probably got bent out of shape that I don’t see the world the way he does,' she added.

The mom is now using her Twitter platform as a space to share her story and encourage others to never remain silent in the face of wrongful convictions.

'Twitter hit a new low for me this week and I'm not about to stay silent about it,' she prefaced her Twitter post explaining the dramatic chain of events.

Speak up! After the frightening caseworker investigation she was cleared and shared her story

Speak up! After the frightening caseworker investigation she was cleared and shared her story

Take it from me! The mom penned a note for her Twitter followers explaining her shocking story of being surprised with a human trafficking case against her

Take it from me! The mom penned a note for her Twitter followers explaining her shocking story of being surprised with a human trafficking case against her

Family first! The mom closed her Twitter note with this message saying that above all she'd put protecting her family as her top priority, even if it meant less free-spirited tweets

Family first! The mom closed her Twitter note with this message saying that above all she'd put protecting her family as her top priority, even if it meant less free-spirited tweets

Thankfully, the mom had the case dropped in a matter of days thanks to 'zero evidence' against her, and is happy at home with her family, and hasn't allowed the frightening case to silence her online dynamic and story sharing with her son. 

'When I started tweeting about his obnoxious/hilarious quotes, I did it for other parents who know how hard this job is. Really hard…I saw it as a piece of the parenting experience that many of my followers would identify with,' she clarified in a tweet. 

'I just won’t expose my son to the same asinine social media bullshit I chose to endure as a career path. My family is the only thing in the world I can protect. And I’m not here to hurt them for a few retweets,' she closed her Twitter message.

And fans were quick to rally around her with support for her well-chosen words and defense of her harmless jokes.  

'What in the world?!?!? Anyone who knows/follows you knows how much you adore your munchkin. I’m sorry you had to deal with this,' Twitter user Amara wrote.

'That being said, please continue sharing on private social medias. I enjoy the saga. Don’t let the dark work extinguish a ray of happiness,' another fan added. 

'As someone who works with kids/families in the system, this frustrates me. DFCS = overloaded case workers. No time to be a toy for someone,' a fellow mother cheered on not wasting case workers' time. 

'That’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard, and I’m so sorry you had to endure such nonsense, but I’m mainly upset I don’t get anymore three-year-old tweets,' a friendly Twitter user added.

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