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JACKSON COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A Kentucky couple is being accused of trying to sell their newborn twins for $5,000.

Jacquilyn Keith and Zackary Davis, both of Jackson County, are both charged with promoting human trafficking.

Chief Deputy Zachary Bryant with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says he just learned of human trafficking allegations in their community on Monday.

“Fortunately, this is the first time I’ve ever had to charge this, and hopefully I never have to charge it again,” said Chief Deputy Bryant.

High on a hill in the Sandgap community, down a winding Lodge Hall Road is where he interviewed Zackary Davis and Jacquilyn Keith.

He says the twins were less than a year old.

“Jackson County’s very small, the population’s around 13,000,” Chief Deputy Bryant said. “Pretty much everybody knows everybody, so it is a sad situation.”

Dr. Theresa Hayden with the PATH Coalition of Kentucky, which stands for People Against Trafficking Humans, says cases like this one are known as familial trafficking.

She says as difficult as it can be to report on a loved one, that is often the most crucial step you can take.

“It’s a hidden crime, and it is going on right in front of our eyes,” said Dr. Hayden, who used to teach a course on trafficking at UofL. “To have a family member go and report this, it’s extraordinary.”

According to the arrest report, authorities were contacted by Davis’ sister-in-law, who told them the couple had agreed to sell their newborn twin girls to her for $5,000. The sister-in-law then provided screenshots and a recorded conversation backing up her claims.

Both Davis and Keith allegedly admitted to authorities that they had agreed to sell the children; however, both indicated they had never actually planned to do so.

Dr. Hayden won’t excuse their actions, but her organization tries to look at the reasons people might do this -- in the hopes of preventing it in the future.

“Life circumstances are tough,” Dr. Hayden said. “To have two infants at the same time...it can be overwhelming.”

“Instead of discharging [them from the hospital], if we recognize this young couple are not ready to become parents, what can we do to help prevent that before we send them out that door?” she added.

The couple is being held in the Jackson County Detention Center, each on a $10,000 bond. They are due in court on Monday, March 25th at 9:30 a.m.