Peo in Interest of JC

── Peo in Interest of JC ── Court: Colorado Court of Appeals Date: May 07, 2026 Category: General 25CA1997 Peo in Interest of JC 05-07-2026 COLORADO COURT OF APPEALS Court of Appeals No. 25CA1997 Arapahoe County District Court No. 23JV289 Honorable Shay Whitaker, Judge The People of the State of Colorado, Appellee, In the Interest of Je.C. and Ja.C., Children, and Concerning T.W. and L.C., Appellants. JUDGMENT AFFIRMED Division A Opinion by JUDGE ASHBY* Román, C.J., and Bernard*, J., concur NOT PUBLISHED PURSUANT TO C.A.R. 35(e) Announced May 7, 2026 Ron Carl, County Attorney, Tamra White, Assistant County Attorney, Aurora, Colorado for Appellee Sheena Knight, Counsel for Youth, Brighton, Colorado, for Je.C. and Ja.C. The Morgan Law Office, Kristofr P. Morgan, Colorado Springs, Colorado for Appellant T.W. Patrick R. Henson, Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Chelsea A. Carr, Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel, Denver, Colorado for Appellant L.C. *Sitting by assignment of the Chief Justice under provisions of Colo. Const. art. VI, § 5(3), and § 24-51-1105, C.R.S. 2025. ¶1 In this dependency and neglect proceeding, L.C. (father) and T.W. (mother) appeal the judgment terminating their parent-child legal relationships with Je.C. and Ja.C. (the children). We affirm. I. Background ¶2 In April 2023, the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services (the Department) received a referral that father had dementia, believed that mother and the children were strangers holding him against his will, and physically harmed the children when they tried to stop him from leaving the home. As a result, the Department provided ongoing support to the family. During a meeting with the caseworker in August 2023, the children reported concerns about mother’s substance use, anger, and physical aggression. After receiving a report that mother had threatened the children’s lives, the Department filed a petition in dependency or neglect and sought temporary custody of the children. The juvenile court granted temporary custody to the Department, who placed the children with maternal grandmother. But three weeks later, based on concerns about grandmother’s substance use, the Department transferred the children to foster care where they remained. 1 ¶3 The juvenile court then adjudicated the children dependent and neglected and adopted treatment plans for mother and father. In December 2024, the Department moved to terminate both parents’ parental rights. Following a multi-day hearing spanning several months, the juvenile court granted the motion and terminated mother’s and father’s legal relationships with the children. II. Termination Criteria and Standard of Review ¶4 The juvenile court may terminate parental rights if it finds, by clear and convincing evidence, that (1) the children were adjudicated dependent or neglected; (2) the parent has not complied with an appropriate, court-approved treatment plan or the plan has not been successful; (3) the parent is unfit; and (4) the parent’s conduct or condition is unlikely to change within a reasonable time. § 19-3-604(1)(c), C.R.S. 2025. ¶5 Whether the juvenile court properly terminated parental rights is a mixed question of fact and law. People in Interest of A.M. v. T.M., 2021 CO 14, ¶ 15; see also People in Interest of A.S.L., 2022 COA 146, ¶ 8 (applying the same standard of review to whether a department of human services satisfied its obligation to make 2  reasonable efforts). We review the court’s factual findings for clear error, but we review de novo its legal conclusions based on those facts. People in Interest of S.R.N.J-S., 2020 COA 12, ¶ 10. III. Reasonable Efforts ¶6 Father contends that the