In re A.C. CA4/3

FACTS

I. Parties

Before delving into the facts of this case, it is helpful to explain the parties’ relationships. This appeal concerns Mother and Father and minor, A.C. Also involved is A.C.’s older paternal half-sibling, M.C. When this case began, Father maintained full custody of M.C. Father separated from M.C.’s biological mother, B.S., in 2011, when M.C. was an infant. From 2013 to 2019, B.S. had no contact with M.C. In 2015, when Mother and Father began their relationship, Mother started helping raise M.C., then four years old, as her own son and she became M.C.’s maternal figure.

II. Petition and Detention

In July 2020, then nine-year-old M.C. and then three-year-old A.C. were taken into protective custody following Mother and Father’s domestic violence incident. This was based upon an argument between the parents that escalated to a physical altercation. Father physically assaulted Mother. Mother responded by grabbing a machete and using it against Father. Each reported the other as the primary aggressor. Mother had bruises and/or red marks on her chest and a red scratch on her wrist. Mother reported Father was under the influence of substances and punched her multiple…