In Re Dependency as to L.S.

── In Re Dependency as to L.S. ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arizona Date: May 11, 2026 Category: General NOTICE: NOT FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATION. UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE. IN THE ARIZONA COURT OF APPEALS DIVISION ONE IN RE DEPENDENCY AS TO L.S. No. 1 CA-JV 26-0020 FILED 05-11-2026 Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County No. JD536732 The Honorable David J. Palmer, Judge AFFIRMED COUNSEL Czop Law Firm, PLLC, Queen Creek By Steven Czop Counsel for Appellant Samuel S. Maricopa County Office of the Public Advocate, Mesa By Seth Draper Counsel for Appellant Samantha A. Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Phoenix By Veronica F. Rios Counsel for Appellee DCS  IN RE DEPENDENCY AS TO L.S. Decision of the Court MEMORANDUM DECISION Judge Angela K. Paton delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Michael S. Catlett and Judge Jennifer M. Perkins joined. P A T O N, Judge: ¶1 Samantha A. (“Mother”) and Samuel S. (“Father”) (collectively, “Parents”) appeal the juvenile court’s order adjudicating their child, L.S. (“Child”), born in October 2024, dependent as to each parent. For the following reasons, we affirm. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY ¶2 On June 11, 2025, police responded to a call from Mother reporting that Father physically abused Child. When police arrived at Mother’s home, Mother explained that she saw “scratches on [Child’s] neck and redness on his ears” and that Father had locked her out of her home. She also reported that Father “struck her five times in the head” the previous day. ¶3 Over the next two months, DCS repeatedly attempted to conduct a wellness check on Child, but was unsuccessful due to Parents’ lack of cooperation. During those two months, DCS also received a phone call from Mother’s mother (“Grandmother”) and Mother’s neighbor expressing concerns of domestic abuse by Father against Mother. ¶4 In August 2025, DCS interviewed Mother’s preteen daughter, B.P., who witnessed the domestic violence incident on June 11. B.P. explained that Father told Mother to take B.P. somewhere else so he could “beat [Mother] up.” B.P. also said she heard Father physically assaulting Mother and saw scratches on Child’s neck. She expressed fear of Father because he would regularly get angry and strangle Child when Child cried. ¶5 DCS took custody of Child in September 2025. A few days later, Mother visited the DCS office to ask about Child. DCS staff observed that Mother wore an ear bud and behaved strangely during the visit. DCS staff wrote two questions on a piece of paper asking Mother whether Father was talking to her in her ear bud and whether she felt safe at home. Mother responded “yes,” but did not indicate which question she was answering. 2  IN RE DEPENDENCY AS TO L.S. Decision of the Court ¶6 At a subsequent Team Decision Meeting, Mother revealed that Father hit her earlier that morning for cooperating with DCS, injuring her lip and bruising her backside. She also expressed a desire for Father to be arrested and sought resources on how to escape her relationship. But two days later, she recanted her statements as to the alleged domestic violence and claimed she felt coerced by DCS to make those allegations against Father. ¶7 DCS filed a dependency petition as to each parent, alleging each was “unwilling or unable to provide proper and effective parental care and control due to” domestic violence and neglect. The juvenile court held a two-day depe