Rebecca Lanette Taylor appears in a mugshot.
A Texas woman shopping at a local Walmart last week reportedly wanted to buy something even the retail behemoth does not sell: another woman’s child. Rebecca Lanette Taylor, 49, of Crockett, was arrested after police say she offered a mother $500,000 to purchase her son “because she wanted him,” then continued to harass the woman and her family after her offer was summarily rejected, The Messenger of Grapeland, Texas reported.
The incident reportedly took place at a Walmart Supercenter located in the 1200 block of Eastern Loop 304 about two hours south of Dallas.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by The Messenger, an unidentified mother was waiting in line at the store’s self-checkout line with her two children. She was carrying her infant in a car seat carrier, and her 1-year-old son was seated in a shopping cart. As she prepared to scan her items, the mother was reportedly approached by Taylor, who allegedly began “commenting on her son’s blonde hair and blue eyes,” the affidavit reportedly said.
“[Taylor] asked how much she could purchase him for. [The mother] tried to laugh this comment off, thinking Taylor was joking,” the affidavit stated. “Taylor told her that she had $250,000 in the car and she would pay that much for him. [The mother] told her no amount of money would do.”
The mother reportedly told police she demanded that Taylor get away from her and her son, but claimed Taylor continued to persist. Taylor, who was allegedly accompanied by another woman, allegedly explained that she had been trying to purchase a child for a quite a while.
The situation only continued to devolve as Taylor’s companion allegedly asked about the boy’s name. The mother reportedly refused to give the child’s name but said the duo somehow learned the name. Both Taylor and her companion allegedly repeatedly called the little boy’s name.
The mother said she waited inside the store for both of the women to leave but was then allegedly accosted when she got to the parking lot. There, Taylor is said to have once again approached the mother about buying her son — and this time she allegedly upped the offer price.
“Taylor began screaming at (the mom), saying if she wouldn’t take $250,000 for him, then she would give her $500,000 because she wanted him and she was going to take him,” the affidavit reportedly said.
Even after the mother reportedly locked both of her children in her car, Taylor reportedly stood just behind the vehicle and continued to yell about wanting the child until the mother drove away.
Lt. Ahleea Price of the Crocket Police Department responded to the scene. After reviewing surveillance film from inside the store, the lieutenant reportedly said the footage matched the mother’s story. Lt. Price obtained a name and address for Taylor and attempted to question the woman at her residence.
“She told me that she doesn’t like thieves, then she stated I could speak with her attorney and to get off her ‘precipice.’ She slammed the door shut,” Price reportedly wrote in the affidavit.
Taylor was taken into custody on Tuesday on one count of participating in the sale or purchase of a child, which is a third-degree felony in Texas. She was reportedly booked in the Houston County Jail and her bond was set at $50,000. Houston NBC station KPRC reported that Taylor posted that bond on Thursday.
Newsweek attempted to reach out to the local police department for comment but was unsuccessful.
[image via Crockett Police Department]