State of Idaho, Department of Health & Welfare v. Jane Doe (2025-35)

── State of Idaho, Department of Health & Welfare v. Jane Doe (2025-35) ── Court: Idaho Court of Appeals Date: May 04, 2026 Category: General IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Docket No. 53144 In the Interest of: John Doe I, John Doe ) II, and John Doe III, Children Under ) Eighteen (18) Years of Age. ) STATE OF IDAHO, DEPARTMENT OF ) Filed: May 4, 2026 HEALTH & WELFARE, ) ) Melanie Gagnepain, Clerk Petitioner-Respondent, ) ) THIS IS AN UNPUBLISHED v. ) OPINION AND SHALL NOT ) BE CITED AS AUTHORITY JANE DOE (2025-35), ) ) Respondent-Appellant. ) ) Appeal from the Magistrate Division of the District Court of the Sixth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Bannock County. Hon. Anson L. Call II, Magistrate. Judgment terminating parental rights, affirmed. Erik D. Fredericksen, State Public Defender; Jessalyn Hopkin, Deputy Public State Defender, Pocatello, for appellant. Hon. Raúl R. Labrador, Attorney General; Jason R. Chandler, Deputy Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. ________________________________________________ TRIBE, Chief Judge Jane Doe (2025-35) appeals from the judgment terminating her parental rights. We affirm. I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND In this action, Doe is the mother of three children (Children) born in 2013, 2022, and 2023.1 Although this opinion refers to all three minors collectively as “Children,” the record shows that 1 Doe has a history of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare involvement, including twenty-eight prior intakes, thirteen assessments, and one open case management case that resulted in the removal and termination of her parental rights to her three other children in 2008. 1 Doe’s oldest child intermittently stayed with his grandfather during the case. The case was initiated because Doe, Doe’s partner, and Children had moved multiple times and ultimately became homeless. Doe’s partner is the biological father of Doe’s two youngest Children. In part, the homelessness occurred due to domestic violence between Doe and her partner. In December 2023, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (Department) received a referral stating the family was homeless and that Doe’s oldest child was often staying at his grandfather’s apartment complex, where the community bathroom contained feces and needles. In January 2024, the Department received another referral alleging the family remained homeless and that Doe and her partner were constantly fighting. The Department recommended temporary shelter care, and the State filed a motion to remove Children. The magistrate court placed Children in the Department’s legal custody. The magistrate court ordered Doe to complete a case plan to reunify with Children. While in foster care, Children received medical care and a stable home environment. The magistrate court conducted several review and status hearings while Children were in the Department’s custody. The Department filed a petition to terminate Doe’s parental rights, and the magistrate court held a termination trial. After the trial, the magistrate court entered its findings of fact and conclusions of law and the judgment terminating Doe’s parental rights, finding that Doe neglected Children and that termination of Doe’s parental rights is in the best interests of Children. Doe appeals.2 II.