In the Interest of L.J., Minor Child
L.J., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
Emily DeRonde
Attorney for Appellee State
Gretchen Witte Kraemer, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Kathryn Miller
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Rachael E. Seymour, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Doyle, P.J., and Tabor and Schumacher, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, J. (9 pages)
A mother appeals the order terminating her parental rights to her daughter after she found her four-year-old dead due to an overdose of Benadryl. She contests the statutory grounds under Iowa Code section 232.116(1) (2019), the best-interests determination under section 232.116(2), and the Court’s decision to not apply the permissive factor in section 232.116(3)(c). She also claims the State did not make reasonable efforts to reunite her with L.J. OPINION HOLDS: DHS made reasonable efforts toward reunification consistent with L.J.’s best interests. Also, the mother has unresolved trauma and mental-health challenges that prevent reunification with L.J. Next, we find troubling the mother’s pattern of neglectful parenting. Finally, the record does not show their relationship remained so close that L.J. will be disadvantaged by the termination.
