In the Interest of P. L. S. D.

The mother continued to use illegal drugs, was unable to keep a job and faced criminal sanctions on drug-related charges.

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On November 5, 2004, the Juvenile Court of Whitfield County granted an order to terminate the parental rights of the mother of minor children P. L. S. D. and S. T. N. D. and extended a previous order granting custody to the children’s maternal grandmother and her husband. The mother appeals on the grounds that the evidence was insufficient to fulfill the requirements of OCGA § 15-11-94. On appeal from a termination order, this Court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the appellee and determines whether any rational trier of fact could have found by clear and convincing evidence that the natural parent’s rights to custody have been lost. In the Interest of S. H., 251 Ga. App. 555 1 553 SE2d 849 2001. “We do not weigh the evidence and must defer to the trial judge as the factfinder.” Citation and punctuation omitted. In the Interest of C. F., 251 Ga. App. 708 555 SE2d 81 2001.

The maternal grandmother and her husband the “petitioners” first obtained custody on May 30, 2000 when the same court granted their deprivation petition and awarded them temporary custody of the children for two years. The children’s putative biological fathers and the mother all waived formal fact-finding and agreed with the facts of the deprivation petition that none of them were able to care for the children and that the children were deprived. Also, neither of the fathers had been married to the mother or legitimated his child, and the mother apparently did not have stable employment or a permanent residence. At the time, P. L. S. D. and S. T. N. D. were five and one half years old and two years old respectively. The deprivation order has never been appealed.

In the Interest of P. L. S. D.

The mother continued to use illegal drugs, was unable to keep a job and faced criminal sanctions on drug-related charges.

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