Trigger Warning: This article contains references to the incest murder of an infant that some readers may find distressing.

A North Carolina father, Steven Pladl, married his own biological daughter, who was given up for adoption when she was eight months old. Steven’s then-partner, Alyssa Garcia, was just 15 when she came into a relationship with 20-year-old Steven in 1995; she later said Steven had been physically abusive toward her and their daughter as an infant, which factored into their decision to place her for adoption.

When Katie Rose Fusco turned 18, she located her birth parents and reached out to reconnect. Her adoptive parents, Anthony and Kelly, were opposed to the idea; however, they ultimately supported her decision. Soon, a hopeful reunion turned into a horrid tale of incest and crime.

Katie moved from New York to live with Steven and his wife, Alyssa, also her birth mother, in Virginia. But the couple’s marriage ended just several months after Steven began sleeping in Katie’s room. The shift deepened the divide in the marriage, ultimately leading to their divorce.

Their controversial relationship was not hidden, as some family members, including Katie’s adoptive parents, accepted it even though they were biologically related. Steven married Katie in Maryland, falsely stating on their marriage license that they were not related. According to CBS News, Steven even instructed his two younger children, ages six and 11, to call Katie their ‘stepmother.’ The two welcomed a son in September 2017.

Alyssa learned about Katie’s pregnancy from Steven after reading one of her other children’s journals in May 2017 and reported it to the police. Steven and Katie were arrested and charged with incest, adultery, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in January 2018. Steven and Katie were released on bond and were ordered to have no contact with one another.

Katie moved back to New York to live with her adoptive parents, while baby Bennett was placed in the care of Steven’s mother. In April 2018, Katie told Steven over the phone that their relationship was over, which drove him to commit crimes he may have never thought of.

On April 11, 2018, Steven first killed their 7-month-old baby, Bennett, and then drove to Connecticut, where he tracked Katie and her adoptive father, Anthony Fusco, 56. He fatally shot them inside their vehicle in New Milford. After this, he killed himself the same way in New York.

Steven’s mother reported on 911 that he had confessed to the killings to her by phone. According to multiple reports, she told them, “He told me he killed his baby, and he’s in the house. He killed his wife. He killed her father. I can’t even believe this is happening. His wife broke up with him yesterday over the phone”.

Steven Pladl, who was simultaneously Katie’s biological father, husband, and the father of her child, had taken three lives before taking his own. Police found Anthony and Katie’s bodies in a bullet-riddled pickup truck in Connecticut, while Bennet was found inside their North Carolina home.

Disclaimer: The Inquisitr individually could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.