đš Mother of Three-Year-Old Montreal Girl Denied Bail in Abandonment Case
The mother accused of abandoning her three-year-old daughter in a field near a highway in Ontario burst into tears on Friday as a judge told her she was being denied bail.
The 34-year-old woman, whose name is under a publication ban to protect the girlâs identity, was ordered to undergo a 30-day psychiatric evaluation at a hospital in the Montreal region.
She will return to court in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., west of Montreal, on Aug. 8. The mother has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and unlawful abandonment of a child.
She reported her daughter missing on June 15 at a store in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., west of Montreal, and told police she had no memory of the previous six hours or of the girlâs whereabouts.
After days of intensive searches, the girl was found alive and conscious on June 18 by Ontario Provincial Police officers who were using a drone when they spotted her near a road, 50 kilometres west of the Quebec boundary.
On Friday, the accused nodded her head as Quebec Court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud explained to her that she was being sent to be evaluated.
Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel said she was satisfied with the outcome.
âThe job of the crown is to make sure that the public is safe, so Iâm proud that the judge looked at the (evidence)⊠and decided to keep her detained,â she told reporters outside the courtroom.
PrĂ©vost-Gravel said the woman has the option to appeal the judgeâs decision.
The womanâs lawyer said he would evaluate his clientâs options.
A publication ban was issued for any evidence heard during last weekâs bail hearings, meaning neither the testimony heard in court nor the reasons for the judgeâs decision can be reported.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2025.
Pierre Saint-Arnaud, The Canadian Press
đš La mĂšre dâune fillette de trois ans de MontrĂ©al reste dĂ©tenue en lien avec une affaire dâabandon
La mĂšre accusĂ©e dâavoir abandonnĂ© sa fille de trois ans dans un champ prĂšs dâune autoroute en Ontario a fondu en larmes vendredi lorsque le juge lui a annoncĂ© quâelle se voyait refuser sa libĂ©ration sous caution.
La femme de 34 ans, dont le nom est frappĂ© dâune interdiction de publication pour protĂ©ger lâidentitĂ© de la fillette, a Ă©tĂ© envoyĂ©e Ă lâhĂŽpital dans la rĂ©gion de MontrĂ©al pour une Ă©valuation psychiatrique de 30 jours.
Elle reviendra devant la cour Ă Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Ă lâouest de MontrĂ©al, le 8 aoĂ»t. Elle fait face Ă des accusations de nĂ©gligence criminelle ayant causĂ© des lĂ©sions corporelles et dâabandon illĂ©gal dâun enfant.
Elle avait signalĂ© la disparition de sa fille le 15 juin dans un magasin Ă Coteau-du-Lac, Ă lâouest de MontrĂ©al, disant aux policiers quâelle nâavait aucun souvenir des six heures prĂ©cĂ©dentes ni du lieu oĂč se trouvait lâenfant.
AprĂšs plusieurs jours de recherches intensives, la fillette a Ă©tĂ© retrouvĂ©e vivante et consciente le 18 juin par des agents de la Police provinciale de lâOntario, qui lâont repĂ©rĂ©e grĂące Ă un drone prĂšs dâune route, Ă 50 kilomĂštres Ă lâouest de la frontiĂšre du QuĂ©bec.
Vendredi, lâaccusĂ©e a hochĂ© la tĂȘte pendant que le juge Bertrand St-Arnaud de la Cour du QuĂ©bec lui expliquait quâelle allait ĂȘtre envoyĂ©e en Ă©valuation.
La procureure de la Couronne, Lili PrĂ©vost-Gravel, sâest dite satisfaite de lâissue de lâaudience.
« Le rĂŽle de la Couronne est de sâassurer de la sĂ©curitĂ© du public, donc je suis fiĂšre que le juge ait examinĂ© la preuve (âŠ) et ait dĂ©cidĂ© de la garder dĂ©tenue », a-t-elle dĂ©clarĂ© aux journalistes Ă la sortie de la salle dâaudience.
Elle a prĂ©cisĂ© que la femme avait la possibilitĂ© dâinterjeter appel de la dĂ©cision du juge.
Lâavocat de lâaccusĂ©e a indiquĂ© quâil allait Ă©valuer les options de sa cliente.
Une interdiction de publication a Ă©tĂ© Ă©mise concernant les Ă©lĂ©ments de preuve entendus lors des audiences de la semaine derniĂšre sur la remise en libertĂ© sous caution, ce qui signifie que ni les tĂ©moignages entendus en cour ni les motifs de la dĂ©cision du juge ne peuvent ĂȘtre rapportĂ©s.
Ce reportage de La Presse Canadienne a été publié pour la premiÚre fois le 11 juillet 2025.
Pierre Saint-Arnaud, La Presse Canadienne