Police in Memphis, Tennessee have launched an investigation after a disturbing photo surfaced on Facebook.
The photo shows two children duct taped at their hands and mouth and is captioned: “Kids for sale, 45% because they bad.”
The picture was posted by Facebook user Jaton Justsilly Jaibabi, who has now deactivated the account, reports WMC News.
As well as the Memphis Police Department – who launched an investigation after being sent the picture by WMC News – it has been reported that other state departments are investigating the photo – in which you can see tears in the oldest child’s eyes.
When they were shown the photo, a local high school student said:
That’s wrong. That’s no joke. It’s nothing to play with. I find it offensive.
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services has said they have limited information and are doing more research before investigating the family.
A parent from the area said:
I could not breathe. It took my breathe away; caused extreme emotional distress. These are children. These are human beings.
Although many parents are outraged at the photo, the woman’s cousin, Derion King, said this was just a practical joke:
I suspect that duct taping your kid’s mouths may cross the practical joke line – probably best not to do that again.
