In re M.T. CA5

BACKGROUND

I. Initial incident and investigation

On September 20, 2024,2 Fresno police officers responded to a general neglect referral made to the Department concerning then four-month-old M.T. Officers learned mother had tried leaving M.T. with an unknown male and called an ambulance for herself. When paramedics arrived, they could not understand what mother was saying. Mother had previously been held under section 5150.

1 Undesignated statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions Code.

2 Further references to dates are to the year 2024.

2. Maternal grandmother was at the scene and told police and social workers that she had recently been unsuccessful in securing a guardianship for M.T. Maternal grandmother told a social worker that mother had been diagnosed with postpartum depression and used marijuana, alcohol, and maybe methamphetamine. M.T. was taken and placed in a foster home. A social worker contacted mother at the psychiatric hospital on September 23. Mother stated at first that she was against maternal grandmother securing a guardianship, claiming maternal grandmother used methamphetamine. When the social worker asked why mother thought this, mother…