In re J.M. CA2/8

FACTS

Mother C.V. and father M.M. have two teenaged children together: J.M., born in 2006, and Jo.M., born in 2008. The children, who did not have a good relationship with mother, lived with father for most of their lives, until he was arrested and imprisoned on sexual abuse charges in February 2021. When father was arrested, the children went to live with mother in San Diego, where mother had resided since 2013. They lived with mother from February through October 2021. Mother and Jo.M. had a particularly contentious relationship, and starting in November 2021, mother authorized Elizabeth M., the children’s paternal aunt, to care for the children. The children lived with Elizabeth M., her three children, and one other person from November 2021 until the events which precipitated these dependency proceedings.

2 In November 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (Department) began an investigation of allegations made against Elizabeth M. in connection with her three children. That led to an investigation of allegations that J.M. and Jo.M. were the victims of general neglect and emotional abuse by Elizabeth M. On December 27, 2022, the Department…