MIAMI, Florida — Police arrested an 18-year-old mother Tuesday after she attempted to hire a hitman to kill her 3-year-old son, according to police.
Jazmin Paez was flagged to authorities after she filled out a form on a parody hit-for-hire website designed to “prevent legitimate solicitations to commit murders,” according to a Miami-Dade police affidavit.
The individual who runs the website received a service request to put out a hit on the intended victim, Paez’s son, police say. The website’s operator reached out to the police, who verified the credibility of the information provided on the website.
After investigating, authorities arrested Paez Tuesday night.
The 18-year-old has been charged with first-degree solicitation of murder and third-degree using a communications device for unlawful use, according to court documents.
Court documents show Paez appeared in court Wednesday and has obtained legal representation through the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. CNN has reached out to Paez’s attorney.
Paez used a fake name to file the request on the phony website and asked for her child to be taken far away and “possibly be killed” as soon as possible, according to the affidavit. Paez included Thursday as the deadline for the job’s completion, police said.
Authorities tracked down Paez using an IP address and phone number obtained through the fake website, which led them to the residence of the grandmother of the 3-year-old. The child was living with his grandmother at the time, according to police.
The grandmother confirmed the identity of the intended victim using a picture submitted on the website and told authorities the phone number belonged to her daughter, police said.
Paez allegedly moved out in May but spoke to her son daily over the phone.
Before Paez’s arrest, a detective established contact with the number provided on the website and exchanged a series of text messages, acting as the hired hitman. The phone number confirmed the original request and agreed to pay $3,000 for the job, police said.
Paez was placed into custody and brought in for questioning at the Miami-Dade Police Department, when she confessed to putting out the hit, according to police.
The mother allegedly told police she was in a romantic relationship with an individual who didn’t like that she had a son and had broken up with Paez for this reason.
Paez thought by hiring a hitman to kill her son, she would be able to rekindle their relationship, the affidavit says she told police.
