You and your hubby need to hire a lawyer and begin to file abandonment against the mother...your lawyer then has to show the courts that every effort has been exhausted to locate the mother to have her sign away her rights...sad but true...unless she already signed away her rights 10 years ago...or sometime in between...she still has to give consent...if she is not located in stated amount of time her rights will be terminated and you will be free to adopt your "daughter". If she does show and decides to fight it...have hubby file for child support against her (this usually deflates those who are not really serious about being a parent)...you also have the fact that she has had no contact for 10 years working against her. Good Luck to you and your family.reneet said:I live in Maryland and my stepchild lives with me and my spouse. I have had her for the past ten years because her mother abdandoned her when she was six months old (the mother and my spouse were never married). She doesn't know that I am not her biological mother and we want to make it legal. Do I have rights to adopt without the mother's consent. We have no idea were she is and she has not shown any interest in this child in 10 years. Help!