FORT WAYNE, Ind. — 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, Se Dar Be, 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. She has a hearing Nov. 22.
The girl's father, Sadid Mot is facing the same charges as the mother.
The third person charged, Zee Kdee Ya, is the would-be husband of the girl and is facing child solicitation and neglect of a dependent charges. A warrant for him was issued Thursday.
The girl told police her parents signed paperwork in Burmese to arrange the marriage.
According to court documents, "(Ya) began quoting the Bible and saying 'I own you now, I can make you do what I want.'" After the girl contacted a friend on her "wedding day," that friend called police.
According to Fort Wayne's NBC, police were called Dec. 20, 2020, and found what is described in court documents as "a wedding celebration... and the victim... dressed in a dress with a veil and wearing makeup."
Police said the girl's mother told them she was only getting engaged and would not marry until she was 18. She allegedly said she had used the $2,000 paid by Zee Kdee Ya to buy food for the party and makeup. The girl had been reportedly living with her would-be husband since her parents signed the paperwork.
A representative of the Department of Child Services, which joined the investigation, told police she informed the girl's father repeatedly that actions to "marry his daughter off" were illegal, due to her age. She said two other DCS employees had informed the father and prospective husband, as well, on multiple occasions prior to Dec. 20.