A woman who offered two days in her "white trash dream" of a life for sale on eBay -- including her two young daughters and depression medications -- was reaching out for help, authorities said Thursday.
Benton Police Chief Michael O'Neill would not identify the woman, but said she is a 31-year-old resident of the town, about 90 miles southeast of St. Louis.
Authorities have asked the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services to make sure the woman gets the services she needs to properly care for her daughters, ages 8 and 4, O'Neill said.
The woman used the name "givemeanewlife" in the posting on the eBay auction site earlier this week, urging readers to "please bid on my life so I can have some peace."
"I'm on the verge of a complete breakdown," she wrote. "What you get is to put up with these two crazy, unruly kids, and a white trash dream for two days. I get to take the money you bid with and do something nice for myself like sit in a roach motel for a day or two and sleep peacefully."
The woman wrote that she suffers from bipolar disorder, depression and borderline personality disorder. She said the winning bidder also could have her medications: "Although they don't seem to be working for me, they may work for you."
The auction violated eBay policy and was taken down Wednesday, within 24 hours of its posting, said company spokeswoman Kim Rubey. She said an internal investigator was assigned to help law enforcement acquire any necessary information.
O'Neill said he was alerted to the posting by television station KTVI of St. Louis.
O'Neill asked the Illinois State Police for help. He said the woman told state investigators that she was not serious about her offer.
"It was a reach out," O'Neill said, "a reach out for someone to talk to, a reach out for help."
State Police on Thursday referred all questions to O'Neill's department. A Children and Family Services spokesman said he could neither confirm nor deny the agency is investigating the case without having the family's name.
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