Officials: Craigslist Post Giving Away Free 5-Year-Old Boy A Hoax

[matcom]

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PENSACOLA, Fla. -- A posting on the popular Craigslist Web site offering to give away a 5-year-old boy was a hoax posted by a father embroiled in a custody dispute, investigators said Wednesday.

Raymond Lawrence Lee, 50, of El Cajon, Calif., told detectives he was upset with the child's mother when he placed the "free to a good home" ad under the "free stuff" section of the site, said Mike Ward, a spokesman for the Escambia County Sheriff's Office. The mother has custody of the boy.

The ad was written as if it were placed by the mother and read, in part: "I've had him now for five years. I've somewhat abused him, but I cannot control myself or him. I have mental problems. DCF (The Department of Children & Families) won't remove him. His father lives in California and has no contact with him. I don't make enough money to support him and myself."

Ward said investigators went to the mother's Pensacola home and found the child was safe. Ward said there had never been a DCF investigation of abuse of the child.

Lee "admitted he did post that ad and that he did it to make the mother look bad because they are in the middle of a custody battle," Ward said.

There was no phone listing for a Raymond Lee in El Cajon or for the mother, Mary Steele, in Pensacola.

Ward said he didn't think there were any charges that could be filed against the father. He said they notified authorities in San Diego.

San Diego police spokeswoman Monica Munoz said the case had been referred to the Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/10424695/detail.html