A 92-year-old Dallas woman has adopted her 76-year-old cousin to formalize the loving relationship that the two women have had for decades.
A judge on Tuesday approved Muriel Clayton's adoption of Mary Smith. Clayton had raised Smith since childhood, following the death of Smith's father in 1950.
Smith, who was 11 then, went to stay with Clayton as a temporary move since her mother had been in and out of treatment for a mental illness.
Smith's mother later tried to care for her daughter, but the stay didn't last long. Other family took Smith in for a while until she decided to permanently live with Clayton.
Clayton says she had thought about adopting Smith since taking her in, but that she couldn't go through it while Smith's mother was still alive.
