Texas mom accused of selling 7-year-old son, trying to sell 2 daughters

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas -- Authorities are accusing a Texas mother with a drug debt of selling her 7-year-old son and trying to sell her two young daughters.

Texas Department of Public Safety said Tuesday that 29-year-old Esmeralda Garza of Corpus Christi was arrested Friday.

She remained in the Nueces County jail on Wednesday on a charge of sale or purchase of a child.

Bond was set at $100,000. Jail records did not list an attorney for her.

DPS says that agents were executing a drug search warrant in Corpus Christi when they located a 7-year-old who had allegedly been sold and purchased.

Authorities say two girls, ages 2 and 3, were in the process of being sold.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports a woman told investigators she bought the boy for $2,500. An arrest report says Garza said she and her boyfriend owed drug money and the child was given to the woman for $500, the clearing of the debt and an additional $700 when the "custody paperwork" was signed.

The case remains under investigation.

A man and woman were arrested as a result of the drug investigation.