Judge names DFPS temporary managing conservator after Amarillo children removed from home

A Amarillo district judge on Feb. 21 placed four children — Isaiah Jeffries, Blaziana Dunn, Micah Pineda and Kira Jeffries — into the temporary managing conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), after a contested hearing in which the court found the evidence showed continued danger if the children were returned to their mother.

The court order followed testimony from DFPS investigators and medical experts about missed pediatric follow-ups, a recent hospitalization for the youngest child and school attendance records showing the two older children missed roughly half the academic year. Judge (name not provided) said the evidence supported naming DFPS as temporary managing conservator and keeping the children in out‑of‑home placement while casework proceeds.

Why it matters: The ruling transfers day‑to‑day decision‑making for the children from the parents to DFPS while the agency manages medical care, schooling and placement. The court also authorized an expedited home‑study of the maternal grandmother’s new residence to determine whether placement there would be appropriate under DFPS supervision.

DFPS investigator…