A.C. v. S.F.M. (In re J.M.)

ZACHARY, Judge.

Respondent-mother appeals from an order terminating her parental rights to her minor child, J.M. ("Jacob").1 Because the trial court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the termination proceeding, we vacate the order.

On 24 January 2012, one day after Jacob was born, the Durham County Department of Social Services ("DSS") took Jacob into nonsecure custody and placed him with Mr. *306and Ms. C ("petitioners"). According to the nonsecure custody order, DSS met with respondent-mother to help avoid Jacob's placement with petitioners, but "[a]dditional efforts were precluded by the…