The bond between a mother and her child is often held up to be pretty much the pinnacle of human relationships. It's unconditional, unbreakable, and basically incomparable to any other. One thing it certainly isn't meant to be, however, is romantic.
And yet, that didn't stop Patricia Ann Spann from marrying her biological daughter, Misty Velvet Dawn Spann.
The 45-year-old mother from Oklahoma had previously lost custody of her 26-year-old daughter, but the pair were reunited in 2014. Patricia claims that the pair "hit it off" after reconnecting, and decided to get married in March 2016 - just over a year after same-sex marriage was legalized in their state.
Despite everything the pair had in common - you know, DNA, family history, a predisposition to making terrible decisions when it came to choosing a life partner - the marriage didn't last long, and Misty had the marriage annulled in October last year.
During the annulment process, she argued that she had been fraudulently led into the partnership, as her mother had lied to her about the legality of their marriage. According to her, Patricia dishonestly told her daughter that she had spoken to "three separate attorneys who advised there would be no problems with the marriage."
Reportedly, Patricia has stated that she genuinely believed the union would be legal, as she wasn't actually listed as Misty's biological mother on her birth certificate. What's more, as Misty had been adopted and raised by her paternal grandmother, Patricia didn't consider their relationship to be that of a mother and daughter.
Under the state law, however, marriage to a close relative is deemed to be incest - regardless of whether not the couple actually engage in a sexual relationship.
But this wasn't Patricia's first marriage to her own child.
Six years before the pair were reunited, in 2008, Patricia married her son, Jody Calvin Spann. Their marriage also ended up being annulled just 15 months later, with Jody citing "incest" as the reason for ending the couple's relationship.
What's more, Patricia's other son, Cody, said he was also propositioned by her - but he turned her down.
"She only tried it once and I told her to get lost, I would never be with my biological mom. That is disgusting. I came from that woman," he said.
He also had some harsh words to say about the problems his mother had caused for his sister.
"I think she's worthless she put my sister into this. She forced my sister into this, there's a lot of people that know it," Cody said. "For you to want to put your own daughter through this, what kind of person are you?"
Misty was sentenced to 10 years of probation for her involvement in the incestuous marriage, and was required to undergo counseling. Meanwhile, Patricia was given a two-year prison sentence, plus a further eight years on probation. She was also fined $1500 and ordered to pay into the state victims' fund. She will also be required to register as a sex offender upon her release.
