‘Questionable parenting’ is not a crime: Lawyers defend woman for allegedly letting 5-year-old daughter wax naked adult clients

The lawyer for a woman accused of letting her 5-year-old wax naked adults says the case against his client should be dropped because “questionable parenting” is not a crime.

Memphis cops and Department of Children Services launched a joint investigation after a 2024 social media post appeared to show aesthetician Jasmine Moss’s young daughter waxing a nude woman.

“She literally helped me wax 24 clients starting from 7:25-5 p.m.,” Moss wrote in the post, according to Action 5 News. “She made a total of $744 and I’m going to put the money toward whatever her future dreams and aspirations are.”

Moss was later charged with child neglect and child abuse, according to court documents seen by WREG.

However, her lawyer Blake Ballin believes he can persuade the court to drop the charges.

“Certainly some questionable parenting… but does that amount to a crime?” Ballin told WREG. “Our position is that it does not. The DCS investigated this, and the child is still in Ms Moss’s custody.

“We’re just hopeful that the prosecutor knows what they have is someone who made a mistake, who has remedied that mistake, and the criminal justice system does not need to be involved,” he said.

State law mandates that all practicing aestheticians are at least sixteen years old, and have completed at least 750 hours on a relevant course at a school of cosmetology. Both a written and practical exam are required, with aestheticians needing to renew their licenses once every two years.

Moss’s business, Jazzy Body LLC, was run out of her home in Westwood, according to state records seen by Action 5 News. Her attorney says that licensing issues with the business have added a further complication.

“It’s an unusual case,” he admitted to WREG. “It’s a little complicated because there’s a DCS investigation, and there are some licensing issues with Moss with the cosmetology board. So, we’ll need some time to investigate that.”

Moss is next slated to appear in court on July 16, according to legal documents seen by WREG.

The Independent has contacted Ballin for comment.