FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — Authorities say an Indiana woman allegedly sold her 13-year-old daughter to a 27-year-old man before she and her husband forced her to marry him and then celebrated the wedding with a party.
The girl's mother is charged in Allen County with child selling where the defendant transfers or receives property for terminating the care of a dependent and neglect of a dependent.
The Journal Gazette reports the man, Zee Kdee Ya, is charged with child solicitation and neglect of a dependent.
According to court records, authorities in Fort Wayne were notified last December by the girl's friend saying that the girl was being forced to marry a man that night, the Associated Press reported.
When police arrived, the girl told police in private that her parents signed paperwork in Burmese to arrange the marriage.
According to court documents, the girl was given a gold bracelet, necklace, and about $2,000 in cash by Ya. She then turned it all over to her parents, the news outlet reported.
The AP reported that the girl then moved in with Ya, but when he tried to touch her on top of her clothes, she screamed.
The news outlet reported that Ya quoted her the Bible and told her that he owned her now and could make her do whatever he wanted.
Online court records did not list attorneys Friday for Ya and the girl's mother.
