Indiana Woman Legally Married Her Father to Cash In on His VA Benefit While He Was in Prison: Police

A woman from Tell City, Indiana, is facing bigamy charges for allegedly marrying her biological father to collect his veterans' benefits while he was locked up and she was married to someone else, authorities say.

Vanderburgh County officials uncovered irregularities in a marriage license application filed by Kimberly Tempel, 44, and Bradly McCollom. They claimed to be no closer than second cousins, despite DNA evidence proving a 99.99% probability that McCollom is Tempel's father, court records reveal.

Tempel was already legally married at the time of the application, which was submitted in Vanderburgh County on July 26, 2024, officials discovered. The couple was wed the same day by a Warrick County clerk.

McCollom, a convicted felon, listed a Vanderburgh County address on the application, but Perry County court documents place his residence in Tell City, according to authorities per local news.

McCollom and Tempel were estranged for years while he served time in federal prison, investigators found. After his release, she moved in with him, and they later entered into marriage to secure McCollom's VA benefits while he was back in prison on a probation violation, according to the affidavit.

Tempel has been released from custody, but McCollom now faces charges for falsifying a marriage license application.