A mother and a daughter from Oklahoma were arrested and accused of having an incestuous marriage. Authorities have discovered this after a child welfare investigator reported the matter.
The mother, identified as 43-year-old Patricia Spann, was married to her daughter, 25-year-old Misty Spann in March of this year. The two got married in Comanche County as per court records, News Channel 4 reported. Accordingly, Misty and her two brothers were raised by one of their grandparents. Patricia lost custody of her children but details about what led to this remain unknown.
The Department of Human Services started investigating the home of the Spanns two years ago, which was the time that Patricia and Misty reunited. Patricia reportedly told authorities that she did not think she was breaking laws by marrying her biological daughter since her name is no longer listed on her daughter's birth certificate.
As per checking, the original birth certificate has Patricia's signature on it. The most recent, however, has Misty's grandmother's signature.
A child welfare investigator visited the home of the Spann's and was the one who reported the incest relationship but it was unknown what led to the visit. Patricia told the social welfare worker that she lost custody of her kids and their father's mother took care of the kids. They lost contact for years, but they recently reunited two years ago.
The two are now in Stephens County jail. New York Daily News reported that this is not the first time Patricia married her child. She reportedly married one of her sons but it was annulled in 2008. The son filed for an annulment 15 months after getting married, citing "incest" as a reason.
Misty and Patricia are being held at a $10,000 bond.
Oklahoma laws prohibit incest relationships such as getting married or having sexual intercourse with each other. The crime carries up to 10 years of imprisonment.
