Judge directs adoption as permanency goal for infant after Lenawee County review; child to remain with relatives

Lenawee County Probate & Juvenile Court — At a permanency-review and planning hearing held Oct. 25, 2025, the court directed that the permanency goal for an infant identified in court records as Kenzie Wright be changed to adoption and ordered that the child remain in a relative placement pending further proceedings.

The change follows testimony and reports that the court and the Department of Health and Human Services said show limited, inconsistent engagement with court-ordered services by both parents and concerns about substance use. Nastasia Thomas, counsel for the department, told the court, “I believe that it’s appropriate to ask for a goal change to adoption,” citing the child’s need for “permanency and stability and finality.”

The decision came after testimony from the child’s mother, Christina Lemley; the child’s father, Matthew Wright; a clinical social worker who had treated Lemley, Elizabeth Reyes of Saginaw Odyssey House; and caseworker Macy Moore of Catholic Charities. Reyes testified that, based on her work with Lemley and recent drug-screen results, “At this time, I would say her relapse risk is very high.” The court also reviewed earlier adjudication records and evidence introduced during prior review periods.

Why it matters: The child was removed from parental care June 21, 2024, and has lived with relatives since that time.…