In re Scott B. CA1/5

I. BACKGROUND

Scott, who was seven years old at the time of the dependency petition, lived on property that included a home where Scott’s mother (Mother) and her boyfriend (Brandon) lived with their two children (Damon & Raymond), a one-room shed with no running water or plumbing where Father lived, and an uninhabited home with bathroom facilities used by Father. Father’s shed was in clear sight of and right next door to Mother’s home. A. Intervention and Detention On February 25, 2015, Raymond, an infant who had been born prematurely, was discovered laying face-down and unresponsive. Mother and Brandon called for an ambulance, but Raymond had already died.1 Scott and Damon were in Mother’s home when police and paramedics arrived. The house was an “ ‘utter mess’ ” and extremely cold; the children were dirty, smelly and surrounded by dirty clothes and blankets; and Damon was discovered asleep under a pile of blankets. Several witnesses described Mother and Brandon as under the influence of drugs: Mother had difficulty answering simple questions, such as requests for her name and date of birth, she mumbled incoherently, and she appeared agitated; Brandon acted erratically,…