Matter of Juvenile Action No. JS-8490

OPINION

FELDMAN, Chief Justice.

The issue in this case is whether the trial court erred in severing the parental rights of an unwed father. The father had no contact with his daughter until almost four years after her birth, when he responded to the petition by the Arizona Department of Eco*104nomic Security (DES) to terminate his rights based on abandonment.

The trial court found that the father had abandoned his daughter and terminated his parental rights. The father appealed, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion because there was no clear and convincing evidence that he intended to…