An Arkansas couple, Darien Urban, 21, and Shalene Ehlers, 20, are facing felony charges after allegedly attempting to sell their two-month-old baby for $1,000 and a six-pack of beer at a local campground. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office received a report on September 21 from a campground manager who claimed the couple offered their child in exchange for beer and later demanded $1,000 for the baby, according to an affidavit.
The couple reportedly signed a handwritten letter transferring custody of their infant to a man named Cody Nathaniel Martin, stating, “I, Darien Urban and Shalene Ehlers are signing our rights over to Cody Nathaniel Martin of our baby boy… for $1,000.” The document included a clause preventing them from ever reversing the decision or contacting Martin again.
Witnesses at the Hide Away Campground corroborated the attempted sale, and law enforcement officers arrived to find the baby in need of medical attention. The child, found with a dirty diaper and a strong odor of ammonia and feces, was suffering from severe diaper rash, blisters, and swelling. Emergency services transported the infant to a hospital for evaluation. The baby has since been placed in the care of the Arkansas Department of Human Services.
A deputy obtained cellphone footage showing Urban and Ehlers signing the custody transfer letter. Additional testimony from witnesses revealed that another resident, Ricky Crawford, had initially taken the baby overnight in exchange for beer after visiting the couple’s camper. Crawford, who was reportedly intoxicated, expressed concerns about the baby’s well-being and later passed the child to Martin.
Both Urban and Ehlers admitted to investigators that they had agreed to give their baby to Crawford for the night in exchange for beer. After further discussions, they visited Martin and ultimately signed the letter transferring custody in exchange for $1,000. They claimed they intended to formalize the arrangement on September 23 when they expected to receive the money.
Martin told police that while no money had yet changed hands, he had planned to provide the couple with a $1,000 check. He also mentioned that Ehlers expressed frustration over the difficulty of caring for the baby alongside their three dogs, stating, “It was not working.”
Urban was released on a $50,000 bond, while Ehlers remains in custody with a $30,000 bail. The incident has drawn significant attention, with additional details revealing that Urban had previously created a GoFundMe campaign, claiming financial struggles following the birth of their first child.
What a tragedy…
