Montreal mother who allegedly abandoned 3-year-old daughter will remain behind bars, psychiatric evaluation ordered

"Make sure the public is safe," said prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel as the courts denied bail to the Montreal mother accused of abandoning her child. The accused has also been imposed a psychological evaluation. Zachary Cheung reports.

By News Staff

Posted July 11, 2025 8:28 am.

Last Updated July 11, 2025 1:28 pm.

The Montreal mother accused of abandoning her daughter, who was found alive on June 18 along a highway in Ontario, will remain behind bars after a judge refused to grant her bail on Friday at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield courtroom.

A psychiatric evaluation was also ordered, which is expected to take 30 days to complete.

Quebec Court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud made the decision after two days of hearings earlier this month.

The accused appeared in court Friday wearing a grey sweatshirt with her hair down, in tears listening to the decision.

The 34-year-old woman, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban that protects the identity of herself and her daughter, had testified in court back on July 4 and was questioned by both the defence and Crown attorneys.

The publication ban also prevents media from publishing or sharing details from the bail hearing in order to guarantee the accused a fair trial.

The mother had been charged on July 3 with criminal negligence causing bodily harm, in addition to the charge of unlawful abandonment of a child that was assigned to her June 16.

The maximum sentence for criminal negligence causing bodily harm is 10 years, while the full penalty for the unlawful abandonment of a child is five years if convicted.

The Crown remains opposed to the release of the mother. Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel told reporters Friday that it was for public safety.

July 4 marked the second day the court heard the evidence from the investigation. The day before, police officers from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) testified.

SQ officers were tasked with searching for the three-year-old girl on June 15, sparking a massive police operation that went on for over 72 hours after the accused walked into a business on in Coteau-du-Lac, Montérégie, saying that she had lost her daughter.

The young girl was found three days later on the side of Highway 417 in Ontario near the exit to the town of St. Albert by an Ontario Provincial Police drone.

The woman is due back in court Aug. 8, where the results of the psychiatric evaluation are expected.

-With files from Alyssia Rubertucci and Zachary Cheung