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In the Interest of C.S. and N.S., Minor Children
S.A., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
Adam M. Stone
Attorney for Appellee State
Meredith L. Lamberti and Kevin Patrick, Assistant Attorneys General
Guardian ad Litem
Lynn Vogan
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Susan Cox, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED. Considered by Vaitheswaran, P.J., and Tabor and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Vaitheswaran, P.J. (4 pages)
A mother appeals the termination of her parental rights to two children, contending, “[T]he Juvenile Court erred in finding that legally sufficient notice to the parents should be dispensed with in this case without requiring publication, and in subsequently terminating parental rights.” OPINION HOLDS: We conclude that because the mother’s whereabouts were unknown and could not “be ascertained by reasonably diligent search,” the juvenile court appropriately dispensed with notice of the termination petition. As the claimed insufficiency of the State’s search efforts is the only issue the mother raises on appeal and we are unpersuaded by that argument, we affirm the termination ruling.
