A Texas mother named Juniper Bryson gave birth to her baby on September 24. Her would-be adoptive mother, Wendy Williams accompanied Bryson while she gave birth and was excited about the prospect of becoming a mother herself. She was shocked, though, after learning Bryson had allegedly attempted to sell her baby on Facebook before meeting her. Williams called Child Protective Services (CPS), which led to the police arresting Bryson.
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According to court records and reported by KTRK, Bryson posted on "Birth Mothers Looking for Adoptive Parent(s)", a Facebook group, on September 22. Bryson then contacted a family member who later posted to see if there was any interested in adopting Bryson's baby.
"She needs someone there during labor and to take the baby boy home," reads the post, according to charging documents. "She doesn't want him going into foster care." In the conversation Bryson sustained with her family member, she revealed the baby would be drug-positive.
Later, according to court records, Bryson told the family member that she wanted payment for the baby. "It's not even like that, just enough to move into an apartment so I can work a job and get (my daughter) back, or a cheap down payment, or any car to get to different places to DoorDash. Nothing crazy at all," reads the message.
Baby On Sale
Many people contacted Bryson who were interested in adopting her baby, including a same-sex couple traveling to Houston from Louisiana. Allegedly, Bryson asked them for $25 during their trip to pay for food. But that wasn't the only thing she requested. "(The prospective parent) stated that 3.5 hours into their trip to Houston, she asked them to send her $150," read the charging documents. Brson then proceeded to block the couple and unblock them to say: "If the baby wasn't worth $200 to them, then screw all."
Out of all those interested in Bryson's baby, Wendy Williams was among them. When Juniper Bryson was in labor on September 23, she sent an Uber to take Bryson to the hospital. Williams later accompanied Bryson during her 8-hour labor and stayed at the hospital for three days. She felt a "real bond" between her and the baby and she didn't mind that the baby was drug-positive. "I just thought this was someone who was in a really bad position," said Williams, according to KTRK.
Bryson then posted on Facebook that the baby had found a home and tagged Williams. Williams then saw many comments, accusing her of buying Bryson's baby. She asked Bryson about it, as they have never discussed payment of any type. "At that very moment, she requested that the nurse remove me from the room, and I did," said Williams. "I got escorted downstairs with gifts that my family had brought to the hospital."
Arrested Mother
Bryson revoked Williams's custody of her child and Williams contacted CPS. CPS got in touch with the police, who arrested Juniper Bryson. Unfortunately for Williams, a judge granted the baby's custody to one of Bryson's friends during a court hearing.
"In every case where a child comes into the state's care, family members or friends are considered first for placement," a Texas Department of Family Services spokesperson told KTRK. "Ultimately, the decision of where a child is placed is up to the court."
While Williams hopes to gain custody of the baby, Bryson is being held in the Harris County Jail on a $30,000 bond.
