Appeals Court rules in Woodbury County case involving four kids

The Iowa Court of Appeals has issued a poignant ruling on a Woodbury County case involving four children who are nine, five, four and two. The mother of the four kids appealed a lower court’s termination of her parental rights. The names of the children are not included in the court’s ruling; the mother is only called “Crystal.” She’s married to “Josh” — a drug addict. Neighbors called state social workers because two of the kids were often seen outside the family’s apartment, wearing only diapers. Cops say the apartment was a trashy mess so the state removed the three children from that home and they started living with their grandmother. The kids’ grandfather, though, was violent, so the kids were sent into foster care. Then, Crystal — the mother — had another baby. The state immediately put that baby boy in foster care, too. The court’s ruling outlines the plight of the children. One of the judges wrote that the children have suffered because of their parents’ problems, but the bonds between the two oldest children and their mom and dad just don’t evaporate. Nevertheless, the kids are now being put up for adoption, which one judge described as the “least detrimental” situation.