In the Interest of K. J. M.

The older child suffered multiple unexplained fractures of his ribs and legs and the younger child cried uncontrollably during scheduled visitation with her mother.

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The juvenile court of Cobb County terminated the parental rights of the mother of 23-three-month-old K. J. M. and 12-month-old K. M. M. The mother appeals, challenging the sufficiency of the evidence. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm. On appeal, we review the evidence in a light most favorable to the juvenile court’s judgment and determine only whether “any rational trier of fact could have found by clear and convincing evidence that the natural parent’s right to custody should be terminated.” In the Interest of J. R. 1 We defer to the juvenile court’s factfinding and thus neither weigh the evidence nor evaluate witness credibility. See id. “Nonetheless, we are mindful that because no judicial determination has more drastic significance than permanently severing a parent-child relationship, such severance must be exercised cautiously and scrutinized deliberately.” Punctuation omitted. In the Interest of J. K. 2

Viewed in this manner, the record shows that in May 2004, when K. J. M. was four months old, his mother and her boyfriend3 took him to the hospital after noticing that he was bleeding from his mouth. They were sent home, but because K. J. M. would not stop crying, several days later they took him to a different hospital. This hospital determined that K. J. M. had recent fractures to five separate ribs, old healing fractures to three separate ribs, and fractures to both legs. Neither the mother nor her boyfriend could offer an explanation as to how K. J. M. received his numerous injuries. The hospital reported K. J. M.’s condition to the police, stating that his injuries appeared consistent with non-accidental injuries, and K. J. M. was taken into protective custody by the Cobb County Department of Family & Children Services DFCS. Both the mother and her boyfriend were later arrested and indicted on charges of cruelty to a child and aggravated battery.

In the Interest of K. J. M.

The older child suffered multiple unexplained fractures of his ribs and legs and the younger child cried uncontrollably during scheduled visitation with her mother.

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