A Utah woman who allegedly purchased a newborn from a teen mom in the Philippines and later tried to smuggle him out of the country in her hand luggage faces life in prison after being charged with human trafficking and child abuse.
Jennifer Erin Talbot, 42, is said to have arranged to adopt the six-day-old baby from the young mother who she first met online before attempting to fly home with the boy to the US on Wednesday.
Talbot, from Sandy, who is married with five children, was able to pass through the airport’s
immigration counter without raising suspicions, however she was later intercepted at the gate by Delta Airlines personnel.
Clad in an orange detainee shirt and handcuffs Thursday, Talbot was paraded on national television in front of reporters as officials from the National Bureau of investigation announced her human trafficking charges.
In addition, officials said she will also be tried for child abuse and kidnapping with serious illegal detention.
Talbot kept her head low and appeared at times to be on the verge of tears throughout the parade and subsequent press conference.
She only broke her silence to say she was from Ohio, despite investigators listing her current home as an address in Utah.
The investigation bureau said Talbot presented an affidavit at the airport, allegedly from the baby’s mother, Maricris Cempron Dulap, giving consent for the baby to travel to the US, but it had not been signed by Dulap.
Officials said no government travel approval had been issued for the baby, prompting them to file human trafficking charges against Talbot.
She also allegedly told officials she was the boy's aunt, but failed to provide any documents to substantiate the claim.
amp.cnn.com
