Biological father, daughter accused of marrying each other

VANDERBURGH COUNTY, Ind. (WPTA/Gray News) - A biological father and daughter are accused of marrying each other in Indiana.

Bradley McCollum, 59, and Kimberly Tempel, 44, are both charged with providing false information on a marriage license application, which is a felony in Indiana. Tempel is also accused of marrying someone while already married, also a felony in the state.

Tempel was in the middle of a divorce when she and her alleged biological father got married in July, according to online court records.

Evansville Police Department says there were several inaccuracies on their marriage license application including:

• McCollum claimed he is not a convicted lifetime sex or violent offender but he was convicted on federal child pornography charges;
• Both indicated they were not married to their co-applicant
• McCollum gave the wrong address

McCollum’s sister spoke with investigators and provided alleged documentation that provided information from a DNA service showing she shares 28.39% of her DNA with Tempel, court records show. The evidence also included a report that shows the probability of McCollum being Tempel’s biological father as “>99.999999%.”

The sister told investigators the father and daughter were estranged when McCollum went to federal prison, but they began communicating via letters and emails, court documents say. She said that even though they were estranged, Tempel had known her entire life that McCollum was her father.

McCollum’s sister told police she believes the primary purpose of the marriage was so Tempel could receive McCollum’s monthly $350 Veterans Affairs benefits while he is in federal prison. His release date is set for July 29.