Taylor Frankie Paul posts a photo of her 2-year-old son to social media just days after the Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) filed a petition to the court asking that it find her kids “abused, neglected or dependent.”
DCFS Petition Against Taylor Frankie Paul
The ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ star has been in an ongoing custody and competency battle with her baby daddy Dakota Mortensen, who has accused her of being mentally unsound to care for her children and alleged she abused him and Paul’s children.
In the petition filed by DCFS on Monday, July 13, 2026, the agency requested the juvenile court find that Paul’s three children, two of which she shares with her ex-husband Tate Paul and the youngest with Mortensen, are “abused, neglected or dependent,” and to issue a protection order and appoint a guardian ad litem to represent her children.
Last Saturday, Paul posted a photo on her Instagram story showing he 2-year-old son, Ever, playing in what appears to be a sandbox. The child is playing with several toy trucks and scooping sand with a shovel. The photo, captioned “Saturday morning with my boy,” sparked backlash on her account, given that less than a week ago her parenting came into question.
DCFS expressed in its petition the concern for the reality star’s children, Ever, son Ocean, 6, and daughter Indy, 8, alleging that she once “stormed out” of her home during one of their visits and that her therapist also raised concern about her “lack of investment in treatment.”
“The mother was unwilling to take accountability for her role in the domestic violence incident and continued to blame Mr. Mortensen for his role in the incident,” DCFS wrote in the petition. “The mother did not see how any of the concerns are impacting her children and was focused solely on how things are impacting her.”
Fathers Respond in Support of Petition
An attorney for Paul wrote a statement to PEOPLE saying she was “not deterred” by the allegations against her in the case or by the transition to juvenile court. She “looks forward to continuing her progress toward normalizing custody and becoming the healthiest version of herself,” the statement read.
“Taylor remains fully committed to doing whatever is necessary to reach that goal and will not be swayed from it,” the statement continued. “Taylor appreciates the professionalism of DCFS and its representatives.”
Paul’s statement to the petition sparked a response from Mortensen and Tate’s attorney, Chad Shattuck, who wrote that the two fathers are “deeply concerned that Taylor’s statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such.”
He said that they “share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children.”
Messy Legal Battle
The DCFS petition is the latest in the legal battle between Paul and Mortensen that began in February after both parties accused the other of domestic violence. Utah police opened an investigation into the couple, and since then their relationship has become increasingly public, leading to a divide amongst many fans, and even the other Mormon Wives.
What started it all was the release of a 2023 video showing a violent altercation between Paul and Mortensen. The pair were screaming at one another as Mortensen recorded Paul throwing a stool at him, which inadvertently hit her daughter in the process.
This incident led to the cancellation of a pivotal moment in Paul’s career and love life: the already-filmed season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’.
Paul has also accused her baby daddy of stalking and slamming her head into the dashboard of his truck on one occasion. In response, Mortensen submitted photos of his physical injuries that he alleges were received during fights with Paul.
Recent Court Appearances
The former couple filed a protective order against the other, which was mutually granted for 3 years in court on April 30, 2026. Ex-husband Tate Paul also filed a restraining order against his ex but was rejected by a judge the following day.
On July 8, 2026, Paul and Mortensen appeared in court for their latest custody hearing, in which the mother was granted expanded parenting time to alternating weekends and the same midweek day each week.
Resources
If you suspect child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline by calling or texting 1-800-422-4453, or visit Childhelp.org. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-7233, texting “START” to 88788, or visiting TheHotline.org. Support is free, confidential, and available 24/7 in English and Spanish, with interpretation available in more than 200 languages.
