Doe v. Department of Health & Welfare

HORTON, Justice.

This appeal arises from a magistrate judge’s order granting the petition of Respondent Department of Health & Welfare (the Department) to terminate the parent-child relationship between Appellants John Doe and Jane Doe and their child, I.P. This is an expedited appeal directly from that order. We conclude that the record contains substantial and competent evidence supporting the trial court’s findings of abandonment and we therefore affirm.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

I.P. was born on July 19, 2005, and Appellants are her biological parents. On July 25, 2006, John Doe’s…