The woman found not criminally responsible for abandoning her three-year-old daughter in June will remain detained at the Montreal psychiatric hospital where she’s been treated since July, a Quebec judge ruled Tuesday.
Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud decided she’ll be allowed some outings depending on her mental state and the hospital’s authorization.
During a 60-day evaluation, a psychiatrist diagnosed the woman with schizoaffective disorder which can lead to states of depression, mania and psychotic episodes.
The psychiatrist said the mother’s psychological state improved after she received medication but she remains fragile.
The woman’s three-year-old daughter was the subject of an intensive search when she was reported missing in June. She was found alive three days later on the side of a highway in Ontario, about 150 kilometres from where she had last been seen.
The judge’s ruling will stay in effect for three months. After that, the mother’s file will be handed over to Quebec’s review board for mental disorders which will then become responsible for determining if, when and how she should be discharged.
People found not criminally responsible and who are discharged by the board have to return at least once a year for a hearing where their mental condition is reassessed until they become fit to stand trial or receive an absolute discharge.
