In Re Term of Parental Rights as to J.T.

── In Re Term of Parental Rights as to J.T. ── Court: Court of Appeals of Arizona Date: June 05, 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 UNDER ARIZONA RULE OF THE SUPREME COURT 111(c), THIS DECISION IS NOT PRECEDENTIAL AND MAY BE CITED ONLY AS AUTHORIZED BY RULE.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 TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO J.T. No. 1 CA-JV 25-0192 FILED 06-05-2026 Appeal from the Superior Court in Maricopa County No. JD41930 No. JS22542 The Honorable Keith A. Miller, Judge AFFIRMED COUNSEL Maricopa County Legal Defender’s Office, Phoenix By Jamie R. Heller Counsel for Appellant Mother Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Tucson By Marika J. Hodge Counsel for Appellee Department of Child Safety  IN RE TERM OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO J.T. Decision of the Court MEMORANDUM DECISION Judge Veronika Fabian delivered the decision of the Court, in which Presiding Judge Michael J. Brown and Chief Judge Randall M. Howe joined. F A B I A N, Judge: ¶1 Martina T. (“Mother”) appeals from the juvenile court’s order terminating her parental rights to J.T. (“Child”). She argues the Department of Child Safety (“DCS”) did not make diligent reunification efforts and the termination of her parental rights was not in Child’s best interests. Because Mother has not shown the juvenile court erred, this Court affirms. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND ¶2 This Court views the record “in the light most favorable to upholding the juvenile court’s findings.” Brionna J. v. Dep’t of Child Safety, 255 Ariz. 471, 479 ¶ 32 (2023). ¶3 Mother is the biological parent of Child, born in September 2014. In May 2022, DCS received a report that Mother, while intoxicated, 1 had acted aggressively towards Child and the maternal grandmother (“Grandmother”). During a subsequent interview, Grandmother described Mother as having untreated mental health problems, which had resulted in prior domestic violence incidents. ¶4 When DCS interviewed Mother, she was unable to hold a coherent conversation and denied any mental illness. However, she did acknowledge engaging in domestic violence towards Grandmother. The investigator determined Mother’s untreated mental health and substance abuse presented a threat to Child’s safety. DCS took temporary custody of Child and filed a dependency petition. ¶5 The juvenile court found Child dependent as to Mother, concluding that Mother behaved erratically, failed to acknowledge any need for mental health treatment, and had mental health difficulties that 1 The juvenile court terminated the father’s parental rights pursuant to A.R.S. § 8-533(B)(9), and he is not a part of this appeal. 2  IN RE TERM OF PARENTAL RIGHTS AS TO J.T. Decision of the Court may be aggravated by alcohol abuse. The court adopted a family reunification case plan. ¶6 During the dependency, DCS offered Mother reunification services including case management, supervised visitation, substance abuse treatment, drug testing, a psychological evaluation, individual counseling, and parenting and domestic violence classes through Family Connections. Because Mother denied any substance abuse or mental health problems and refused to drug test, she was unable to be assessed for treatment. ¶7 Mother’s visits with Child were supervised for most of the dependency because Mother sometimes threatened the supervisors, made inappropriate comments, or indicated she would abscond with Child. ¶8 In February 2024, Mother went to the emergency room for suicidal thoughts. She denied dri