In re N.C. CA2/2

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

I. Facts

Father has two minor children with S.P. (Mother): N.C. (born 2019), the subject of this appeal, and J.C. (born 2018).1 Mother is not a party to this appeal and sibling J.C. is not a subject of this appeal. In April 2019, the juvenile court asserted dependency jurisdiction over sibling J.C. based on Father’s and Mother’s substance abuse, Mother’s history of violent altercations, and Father’s failure to make an appropriate plan for the child’s ongoing care and supervision. In June 2019, the juvenile court placed J.C. with Mother, ordered reunification services for Father with regard to J.C., and ordered Father to participate in a full drug and alcohol program, weekly drug testing, and parenting and individual counseling. Father never participated in any court-ordered services regarding J.C. In January 2020, Father was arrested and incarcerated on a murder charge, and remained in jail throughout the period relevant to this appeal. In May 2020, Mother was found unresponsive and not breathing in a vehicle with both eight-month-old N.C. and sibling J.C. present, apparently due to a drug overdose, and was revived with Narcan.

1Mother was born…