Couple behind bars after being accused of trying to sell newborn twins for $5,000 claim it was a joke that got out of hand

A Kentucky couple accused of selling their babies for $5,000 have defended their actions from prison, claiming it was just a prank gone wrong.

Jackson County couple Zackary Davis and Jacquilyn Keith were arrested Monday after allegedly trying to sell their own newborn twin daughters.

The pair is currently behind bars at the Jackson County Detention Center facing human trafficking charges.

Davis has claimed that a family member was babysitting their newborn twins while he and his wife were renovating their home.

‘I went there every day. I brought money, food and diapers. I saw my kids for a few hours and went back to work,” Davis said from the McKee Detention Center.

He says the mention of selling his twin baby girls was a joke that he didn’t mean seriously.

“She said, ‘I’ll give you five thousand.’ I said, ‘ha, ha, yeah, for five thousand dollars you can have my kids,'” Davis said.

But officers were not convinced after claiming they were contacted by Davis’ sister-in-law, who confirmed the couple had agreed to sell the babies.

They say they have screenshots of messages and recordings to back up the claims.

However, Davis and Keith snapped back, saying that selling their children was never a real plan.

From behind bars, Keith said in a separate interview: “Hopefully they’ll see the mess that’s going on, and we won’t have to go to jail for something we didn’t do.”

According to the sheriff’s police report, the mother told officers that her husband’s relatives had manipulated him into allowing them to keep the babies.

Davis claimed that the children are his world, and the reason he was working on cleaning up his life.

“I’m trying to tell the public that this is all corrupt, and that my children were stolen from me. They took my children from me,” he said.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Zachary Bryant said WKYT that this was the first time in his career that he had given the charge.

“Luckily this is the first time I’ve ever had to charge this, and hopefully I’ll never have to charge it again,” he said.

The couple said they wanted to expand their family of five before being thrown into a prison cell.

‘I have five children. If I sold one child, I wouldn’t have five. I’ve been watching children all my life. I have had children with me or near me all my life. I’ve always been responsible for someone’s children,” Keith said.

Police said social services took the children into custody and placed them in another home to care for them.

Both Davis and Keith remain in jail on $10,000 bond and are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Neither has entered a plea and no attorney is listed for either party.