In the Interest of J.B., Minor Child
B.B., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
Ryan D. Gerling
Attorney for Appellee State
Mary A. Triick, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Reyna L. Wilkens
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Des Moines County, Emily Dean, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Tabor and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Tabor, J. (8 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to two-year-old J.B. She asks four questions on appeal. (1) Did the State introduce a series of recorded jail calls (more than ninety minutes in all) without showing they were relevant and material? (2) Did the State fail to prove by clear and convincing evidence that J.B. could not return home? (3) Did the State fail to make reasonable efforts to reunify the family? And (4) is a guardianship with his maternal grandmother the preferred placement for J.B.? OPINION HOLDS: On the first issue, we decline to consider the contents of the recordings in our de novo review of the record. For the other three questions, we answer “no” and decline to grant relief. Thus, we affirm the termination ruling.