Monica Mares gave birth to her son Caleb Peterson as a teenager. She made the difficult decision to give him up for adoption, hoping he’d have a wonderful life. As the years went by, Peterson wanted to get to know his mother and finally found her on Facebook. What should have been a wholesome reunion instead took a depraved turn. Mares and Peterson quickly began a sexual relationship. Peterson ended up facing charges of incest, and his mother confessed she’d found the love of her life.
The Mirror US reported that Mares and Peterson exchanged messages on Facebook for several weeks before deciding to meet in person. After meeting, the pair began to have feelings for each other. Peterson moved in with Mares a short time later, and their relationship turned sexual.
“I’m sorry I don’t know how you are going to react to this. I’m your mom and you’re my son, but I’m falling in love with you,” Mares reportedly told her son, according to the Mirror US.
He apparently reciprocated the feelings, and the pair went public with their relationship in 2016. La Cruces Sun-News reported that a neighbor in Clovis, New Mexico, turned the pair in to police.
According to court documents obtained by the news outlet, Peterson, then 19, reportedly told investigators he wanted to protect Mares, then 36, from abuse.
“Caleb felt if he was there to take care of her, she would not have to deal with abusive men anymore and he would take care of the household and his younger brothers,” the complaint read.
The pair faced fourth-degree felony incest charges. According to the Mirror US, Mares and Peterson were barred from seeing each other, and she couldn’t have contact with any of her other children.
“If they lock me up for love then they lock me up,” Mares reportedly said at the time. “There is no way anybody could pull us apart, and I really do love him.”
Peterson claimed Mares was never like a mother to him. “I never had anyone cook me meals or give me anything,” he shared at the time. “I never got anything my entire life and she went out of her way to make me happy.”
The pair eventually agreed to a plea deal in March 2017 just before a jury was going to be selected for their case, and they were sentenced to 18 months of probation, KIRO reported.
No matter what feelings this woman may have had, she’s an adult, and it was her responsibility to say no and walk away. With more than 8 billion people on Earth, she can find someone to date she didn’t give birth to.
