Ind. woman accused of marrying her biological father

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (TCN) — A 44-year-old woman was arrested for reportedly marrying her father while she was still married to another person in order to receive his veterans benefits.

Court records show Kimberly Tempel was arrested Feb. 21 on charges of false information in marriage license application and attempted bigamy.

According to court records cited by WEHT-TV, Tempel and her father, 59-year-old Bradley McCollom, reportedly said in the marriage license paperwork they filed that they were “no closer than second cousins,” but tests showed they actually had a 99.9% likelihood of being biologically related as father and daughter. The two wedded in July 2024 at a courthouse.

Evansville Police Public Information Officer Anthony Aussieker told WEHT that in for the first few days of her marriage to her father, Tempel was “still legally married to her prior husband, which would make it illegal to marry someone else.”

McCollom reportedly falsified his address on the paperwork as well.

WPTA-TV reports Tempel and McCollom were not close for several years while he went to federal prison, but they eventually got back in contact with each other. Officials believe McCollom and Tempel got married so she could collect her father’s $350 monthly V.A. benefits.

McCollom has faced multiple charges of failing to register as a sex offender. He is currently serving time in federal prison in Arkansas for violating his probation, and he will be released in July.

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