Couple arrested after baby posted in online sale

updated 9:03 p.m. ET May 27, 2008

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Canadian police said Tuesday they may charge a Vancouver couple accused of posting an online ad offering a seven-day-old baby for $10,000.

A woman browsing the classifieds Web site Craigslist on Friday called police after saw the ad.

"A new baby girl, seven days old, healthy and very cute," read the ad.

"Can't afford and unexpected. Looking for a good home. Please call ASAP."

Within hours of her call, officers tracked the number of a stolen cell phone listed in the ad to an apartment in downtown Vancouver. When officers arrived, they found four adults inside, including the 26-year-old father and the 23-year-old mother breastfeeding the baby. Police did not identify the couple.

"Of course, the first thing out of their mouth is, they said it was just a hoax," Const. Tim Fanning said.

The baby's parents were arrested and released, and the baby was removed from the home. Police did not reveal the parents' names.

A spokeswoman for Craigslist would not answer questions about the case, but said the site takes steps to ensure users are not breaking the law.

"Misuse of Craigslist for illegal purposes is absolutely unacceptable to us, and we will work together with law enforcement until the perpetrators have been brought to justice," Susan Best, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco-based site, said in an e-mail.

Police in Germany arrested a couple over the weekend after a seven-month-old boy was listed for auction on Ebay.

The mother told police the ad, which listed the baby for sale for a euro, about $1.56, was a joke, but the baby is now in the care of youth services as police investigate the possibility of human trafficking.

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