By Joe Hughes UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 24, 2006 San Diego police yesterday started an investigation into a case of possible child endangerment after receiving tips from two concerned people regarding a posting on Craigslist, the online classified-ad service, that purported to offer a free baby to a good home.
Copies containing the ad content were sent to police after dispatchers recorded two calls about 10:30 a.m., complaining and asking police to investigate.
“The copy of the ad sent to us shows a picture of a baby,” San Diego police Sgt. Jim Schorr said. “We immediately contacted our child-abuse detectives in an attempt to find out if this was some kind of hoax. We are taking this very seriously.”
The copy given to police says: “Free baby boy to good home. My ex-girlfriend had him a few weeks ago, but now he just sits in my closet and cries. I'm not too sure how to deal with it, and I'm in a pretty low financial spot. I lost all the baby accessories. Batteries not included. Transaction final. No returns. Guaranteed not DOA.”
The ad also said the baby was in San Diego and that the man would deliver, police said.
When police tried to access the ad at midday, it had been removed from the Web site.
Attempts to independently contact Craigslist in San Francisco for comment were unsuccessful.
Police said detectives would try to trace the person who placed the ad and see if a real baby, not a toy, was being offered.
On its Web site, Craigslist says it will not release nonpublic information about posts without a subpoena or search warrant per federal law.
Craigslist, which started in 1995 by offering free online classifieds for the San Francisco area, attracts about 10 million users a month. Most ads are free to place, luring advertisers who might otherwise pay for ads in traditional media. Online auction giant eBay bought a 25 percent stake in the site from one of the original shareholders.
A check of Craigslist's San Diego site yesterday showed such items as Chargers tickets, cars, trucks, bikes, electronics, household items and a children's computer starter kit, which included a keyboard, mouse and software.
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Joe Hughes: (619) 542-4591; joe.hughes@uniontrib.com
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