What if the biological parent sends a gift but has no other contact — is that abandonment in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, a gift on its own doesn't settle the question either way. Under Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-110, abandonment depends on the biological parent's overall conduct. Wyoming sets no fixed number of months of silence, so the court looks at the whole picture instead of counting days since the last contact.

What this means for you: A gift is one piece of that picture. Whether it outweighs a long absence, or whether a judge would treat it as enough contact to defeat an abandonment claim, depends on your family's facts. The court decides that in your case, so a District Court clerk or a family law attorney is the right person to ask about your situation.

What to write down now: Clear, dated records help whatever the outcome. Consider keeping notes on:

• The gift itself: the date, what it was, how it arrived, and who it was addressed to.
• All other contact: calls, visits, texts, cards, or messages, including when each last happened. If there has been none, note that too.
• Your own efforts: any times you invited contact or shared updates, and how the parent responded.
• Timeline: when the parent was last involved in the child's daily life, school, or health care.
• Financial support: whether any has been provided, and when it started or stopped.

Keep these as plain facts rather than opinions. Dates and specifics are easier for a court to weigh.

How this fits into the adoption: Stepparent adoptions in Wyoming are filed in the District Court in your county, and Wyoming has 23 counties. The stepparent adoption timeline here is typically 3-6 months. The adopting stepparent must have lived in Wyoming for the 60 days immediately before filing (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103). If the child is 14 or older, the child's consent is part of the process (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-109). A home study is waived under Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-111(a)(ii).

If the other parent may object: A parent who still sends gifts may well respond to the petition. If you expect a contested case, speak with a Wyoming attorney about that specific issue. The District Court clerk can also confirm local filing steps and the current filing fee.

How we help: StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county. You then file it yourself, without an attorney. Court-ready documents are delivered within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child, and we back it with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 191 Wyoming families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.