A woman from Oklahoma has been sentenced to two years behind bars after a court convicted her of having an incestuous relationship with her daughter.
Misty Spann was raised by her grandmother because her 45-year-old mum lost custody of her three kids. The 26-year-old spent the majority of her life without Patricia Ann Spann, however they reconnected and reportedly 'hit it off'.
The mother and daughter started a relationship in 2014, but took it to the next level two years later and filed for a marriage license.
Patricia genuinely thought she wasn't doing anything wrong because she wasn't legally Misty's mum as she had been removed from her daughter's birth certificate.
Under Oklahoma law, it's illegal to marry a close relative even if the relationship isn't sexual.
Their marriage was brought to the attention of authorities during a child welfare investigation, according to the Associated Press. Patricia told officers about her history with her children as well as her current relationship, not realising what she was saying was incriminating.
However, the story gets even stranger when authorities realised this wasn't the first time the mum had been married to one of her children.
The 45-year-old also got married to her son in 2008 in Comanche County, however he filed for an annulment after 15 months.
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The New York Post says the man cited 'incest' as the motivation when handing over his annulment application.
Misty also annulled her marriage with her mum, putting down 'illegality and fraud' in the reasons box. The young woman claimed Patricia told her she had received legal advice about whether they could get hitched and assured Misty it could happen.
Misty received a 10-year probation sentence and will also have to undergo counselling after admitting to incest at Stephens County Court. Her mum, Patricia, has been sentenced to two years jail, in addition to eight years of probation and will have to register as a sex offender.
Incest is punishable by up to 10 years in jail in Oklahoma.
If you were reading the line about incest being illegal in the US state and thinking, 'well duh'; there are actually a few places in America where it isn't against the law.
New Jersey and Rhode Island are the only two states in the US where incest between consenting adults is not a criminal offence, however the two people still cannot get married. The age of consent is 16 and over for Rhode Island and 18 and over for New Jersey.
Everywhere else has different punishments and different definitions for incest, with some places ruling incest can only happen between blood or half-blood relatives, whereas other states will extend those laws to people who adopt children.
Featured Image Credit: Stephens County JailTopics: America, News, crime, court