The 23-year-old mother from the village of Holzgünz in the German state of Bavaria who put her 7-month-old baby up for sale on the internet auction site in late May will not be charged because no criminal act could be proven, a prosecution spokesperson said.
During the investigation, the woman said she had meant the auction as a joke. The item description on Ebay read, "Offering an almost new baby for sale because it's gotten too loud." Several people who saw the description alerted police, and the child was taken into custody by child protection services and examined by doctors.
According to a statement from the state prosecutor's office, there was "no evidence of neglect of negligence of the healthy child." There were also no "contractual negotiations" that could have accounted for attempted child trafficking, the statement said.
The baby has been returned to its parents.