P.L.H. v. E.C. and R.T.

ROBERTSON, Presiding Judge.

This case involves the custody of two minor children, R.S.H. and J.A.H.

Following the filing of numerous petitions concerning these children by their mother, P.L.H., and by their paternal grandmother and aunt, E.C. and R.T., the trial court awarded the “permanent care, custody and control” of the children to the grandmother and aunt. The mother was awarded visitation. The father is deceased.

The only statutory mechanism by which the trial court could have awarded permanent custody of these children to a relative is found at § 26-18-8, Code 1975. That section provides:

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