State of Florida Ex Rel. Department of Health & Rehabilitative Services v. Vernon

Opinion

ELKINGTON, J.

The relevant factual and procedural context of the appeal before us may reasonably be condensed to the following.

The above-named defendant Marlene Vernon (formerly Marlene Downey) is the mother, and one Joel Downey the father, of two minor children. In the parents’ State of California marriage dissolution proceedings of 1971, the father was awarded custody of the children and ordered to provide for their support. In 1976 the father placed the children with his mother; his whereabouts are apparently now unknown. Since then their physical custody had been with their paternal…