3 Arrested in Burnsville Prostitution Sting

An Apple Valley woman who was convicted in 1998 of murdering her 3-year-old daughter was one of three people charged last week in a prostitution sting in Burnsville.

Tysann Yvette Celestain, 45, of Apple Valley is charged with two counts of prostitution as a result of the Burnsville Police Department’s March sting operation.

Celestain was convicted of second-degree intentional murder in 1998 after she admitted giving her daughter, Jaylyn, a sleeping pill, then smothering her with a pillow and holding a plastic bag over the child’s head. She was sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Celestain, who lived in Burnsville at the time, told authorities that she intended to kill herself, but didn’t want to leave her daughter motherless. Authorities found her in her garage with her wrists cut after they found the child’s body.

The other two women charged with two counts of prostitution as a result of the Burnsville sting operation are Tayana Marshay Hudson, 22, of Plymouth and Cymbre Nicole Ford, 23, of Richfield.

According to the complaints, filed in Dakota County District Court in Hastings, the arrests took place at separate times on the evening of March 23 in the Burnsville Days Inn.

Burnsville police set up the sting by responding to ads on Eros.com, which bills itself as offering “all things erotic,” and backpage.com, an online interactive site similar to Craigslist which features an adult category, including the headings “escorts,” “body rubs,” “strippers and strip clubs” and “dom and fetish.”

The complaint against Hudson says a Burnsville police officer assigned to the street crimes unit responded to an ad on backpage.com placed by “Tiffany,” which read: “Why not treat yourself 2 simply the best. I’m young, active and attractive. I’m the hottest girlie on here – I’ll do anything – I’m adventurous and I love trying new things. I specialize in fetishes, very open and ready.”

Hudson agreed to meet the officer in a specified room at the Days Inn for an hour of “outcall,” a term commonly used by prostitutes to refer to traveling to a client’s location, according to the complaint.  Hudson told the officer that her rate was $250 an hour; the officer told her he had only $220, and she said she would accept that amount, the complaint says.

When Hudson arrived, the officer asked her for oral sex, and asked if she preferred to use her condoms or his, according to the complaint. The officer put $220 in cash on the bed and told Hudson he wanted to use the bathroom, at which point the arrest team came in and arrested Hudson.

Hudson told police that it was her first time posting on backpage.com, and she posted the ad because she was being evicted from her apartment and needed the money to pay back rent.

In Ford’s case, according to court documents, the undercover officer responded to an ad on backpage.com placed by “Sophie,” which read, “Dangerously addicting brunette. I aim to please you in every way. I’m 5-foot-5 and 137 pounds with nice curves for you to hold.”

The officer made arrangements by telephone for Ford to meet him at the Days Inn after agreeing to her “outcall” price of $180 an hour, the complaint says. The two discussed payment and condoms before the officer again said he wanted to use the bathroom, and the arrest team entered and arrested Ford.

According to the complaint, Ford told police that she had previously been arrested for prostitution in Burnsville and that she offered only “escort” services because she is a “nympho.” Her criminal record showed a previous arrest and an active warrant for prostitution in Dakota County.

The officer made arrangements to meet Celestain in the same room at the Days Inn after responding to her ad on Eros.com, according to court documents. The ad, placed by “Tonya,” said that no area would be left “untouched” and that “the light, intimate strokes will build to a crescendo of ecstasy,” according to the complaint against Celestain.

Celestain told the officer that her rate for an hour was $120, the complaint says. The officer told her that he was willing to pay between $200 and $250, then said he wanted to use the bathroom. The arrest team entered the room and arrested Celestain.