A Warren woman is in jail after she was charged Wednesday with offering her 4-year-old daughter on a controversial dating website to a man for sexual activity for money, according to police and law enforcement records.
Jennifer Marie Brys, 25, and Edward Cody Reardon, 26, were arraigned in 37th District Court on charges of child sexually abusive activity and using a computer to commit a crime.
According to police, Brys is accused of placing a prostitution advertisement on Backpage.com in September and was contacted by Reardon. The two exchanged text messages where Reardon offered to pay her $300, but eventually indicated he was interested in having inappropriate contact, including showering, with Brys’ child.
He was willing to pay between $300 and $500, officials said.
Warren Police Commissioner Jere Green described the content of the messages as “disgusting and disturbing.”
“She presents herself as available and they negotiate a price but in their text conversations, it becomes evident this guy is more interested in being with the daughter,” Green said. “And he asks her if she knows any other young girls between 7 and 12. This guy clearly was looking for opportunities to be with young girls.”
The case came to light when the child’s father found the text messages on Brys’ phone the day before the meeting was to take place. The father, Aaron Perry, immediately contacted police for the child’s safety.
Macomb County Circuit Court online records show Brys filed a lawsuit for determination of child support against Perry in 2009. The case has since been settled, court records show.
As soon as Perry saw the text messages, he phoned police, who came to Brys’ house in the 8 Mile Road-Van Dyke area to investigate.
During Wednesday’s court hearing, Brys, formerly of Hamtramck, pleaded with Judge Matthew Rumora to be released on bond.
“I literally don’t have a place to live,” she said, according to a WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) report. “I am not a flight risk.”
Reardon, a Lincoln Park resident, told the judge he wanted to be let out so he could contact a lawyer.
But the judge set bond at $500,000 for each defendant. Officials cited an ongoing FBI investigation of Reardon for similar alleged crimes as a reason why the bond was not lower.
Reardon had asked Brys to text him a picture of the child nude, and Brys responded with a photo of the girl with clothes on, police said.
When you look at the picture of this innocent little girl, and think about what her mother wanted to do with her, the mother who is supposed to protect her, it’s disgusting and disturbing,” Green said.
A preliminary hearing in district court to determine whether Brys and Reardon should be bound over to circuit court for trial is scheduled for Nov. 7.