The Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed a district court's decision terminating Heather Dawn Ritchie's parental rights to her minor child, rejecting her appeal that challenged the sufficiency of evidence supporting the termination.
Justice Jarosh, writing for the court in the Jan. 23, 2026 opinion, held that the record contained sufficient evidence to support the district court's termination under Wyoming Statute Section 14-2-309(a)(v). The decision followed a five-day bench trial in Natrona County District Court, where Judge Thomas T.C. Campbell presided over the case.
The Wyoming Department of Family Services initiated the termination proceedings against Ritchie, seeking to permanently sever her parental relationship with the child, identified in court documents only as BAR to protect the minor's privacy. The department's petition cited multiple grounds for termination under Wyoming law, specifically sections 14-2-309(a)(iii) and (a)(v) of the state statutes.
Ritchie, represented by Geneva Englehart of Englehart Law LLC in Casper, appealed the district court's ruling to the state's highest court. Her primary argument on appeal was that the trial court lacked sufficient evidence to justify terminating her parental rights. The appeal challenged the legal and factual basis for the lower court's decision.
The state was represented by a team from the Wyoming Attorney General's Office, including Keith Kautz, the attorney general; Christina McCabe, deputy attorney general; Wendy Ross, senior assistant attorney general; and Shawnna Lamb. The robust legal representation on both sides reflected the serious nature of parental rights termination proceedings.
Throughout the proceedings, the minor child's interests were protected by a guardian ad litem, with Joseph R. Belcher serving as director and Kim A. Skoutary Johnson from the Wyoming Office of Guardian ad Litem representing the child's best interests. The guardian ad litem's role is crucial in termination cases to ensure the child's welfare remains the primary consideration.
The Supreme Court's decision focused on whether sufficient evidence supported termination under section 14-2-309(a)(v) of Wyoming law. While the department had initially cited both subsection (iii) and (v) as grounds for termination, the high court's analysis centered on subsection (v) as the dispositive legal standard.
Parental rights termination cases represent some of the most serious proceedings in family law, as they permanently sever the legal relationship between parent and child. Wyoming law requires clear and convincing evidence to support termination, a higher standard than the typical civil litigation burden of proof. Courts must carefully balance parental rights with child welfare considerations.
The case originated in Natrona County, Wyoming's second-most populous county, which includes Casper. Family services departments across Wyoming handle hundreds of child welfare cases annually, with termination proceedings reserved for the most serious situations where reunification efforts have been unsuccessful or are not in the child's best interests.
The five-day bench trial that preceded the Supreme Court appeal suggests the case involved complex factual and legal issues. Bench trials, where judges rather than juries determine the outcome, are standard in family law proceedings, allowing experienced jurists to evaluate sensitive evidence and testimony involving children and family relationships.
The Supreme Court's decision to affirm the termination indicates the justices found the evidence presented during the trial met Wyoming's legal standards for permanently severing parental rights. The court's analysis focused specifically on whether the record supported the district court's findings under the applicable statutory provision.
Justice Jarosh's opinion notes that the decision is subject to formal revision before publication in Pacific Reporter Third, the official reporter for Wyoming Supreme Court decisions. The court requested notification of any typographical or formal errors before final publication in the permanent legal volumes.
The case was heard during the court's October 2025 term, with the decision issued in January 2026. The Supreme Court panel included Chief Justice Boomgaarden and Justices Gray, Fenn, Jarosh, and District Judge Healy, who was sitting by assignment.
While specific details about the circumstances leading to the termination proceedings remain sealed to protect the minor child's privacy, the Supreme Court's affirmance suggests the trial court properly applied Wyoming law in concluding that termination served the child's best interests.
The decision represents one of several parental rights cases the Wyoming Supreme Court considers annually, as the state's highest court reviews complex family law matters that raise significant legal questions about the balance between parental rights and child welfare protection.