People ex rel. Anonymous v. Anonymous

This contest between the natural mother and foster parents over the custody of a child, now almost 5 years old, gives rise to questions which are always distressing and usually perplexing as well. Their answer in this case depends upon our assessing the evidence offered at the trial and determining whether the foster parents have sustained the burden *335of proof imposed upon them by our decisions. (See, e.g., People ex rel. Kropp v. Shepsky, 305 N. Y. 465, 469.)

When the relator was 14 years old and unmarried, she gave birth to a son who was turned over to the foster parents when he was 4 days…