In re G.I. CA4/2
Opinion
Opinion
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On July 20, 2023, personnel from plaintiff and respondent, the San Bernardino
County Children and Family Services (the department) received an immediate response
referral alleging “general neglect and caretaker absence/incapacity.” Officers took
mother into custody for child endangerment after an allegation that she was involved in a
homicide. When officers arrived, mother said, “‘I murdered my husband and dragged his
body to the firepit and burned him.’” It was also alleged mother and the children were in
the desert “living in a ‘shant[y]’ made of wooden pallets.”
An investigating officer found bone fragments in a firepit, but could not determine
if they were animal or human. The officer reported the family resided in a home “made
of wooden pallets and the floor is strictly dirt.” There was no running water or septic in
1 Mother had been living in the home with the children and her husband R.L., the father of D.L. and S.L. Mother had divorced D.I., G.I.’s father, years earlier. Neither father is a party to the appeal.
2 the home. There was a small generator for power and minimal food in a broken
refrigerator.