The mother of a Quebec toddler who went missing but was found alive after a four-day search last month has been denied bail.
Quebec Court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud also ordered a psychological evaluation be performed on the mother.
The mother, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban that protects the identity of her daughter, appeared in court on Friday wearing a grey sweatshirt. She cried as St-Arnaud read his decision denying her bail.
A separate publication ban prevents the media from reporting the reasons for the bail decision and information revealed during the hearing.
The toddler went missing on June 15. Her mother reported her missing at a store in Coteau-du-Lac, about 50 kilometres west of Montreal, telling a store employee she didn’t know where her daughter was. Three days later, a police drone spotted the girl in an Ontario field after an intensive search.
The mother has been charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm and child abandonment.
The mother will be detained and evaluated at the Philippe-Pinel National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry in Montreal. The evaluation is slated to last 30 days. She will appear in court again on Aug. 8.
The evaluation will seek to determine the mother’s state of mind and help decide whether she can be held criminally responsible for her actions when her daughter went missing.
The mother testified last week. Both the defence and prosecution questioned her. She testified for approximately one hour, sometimes wiping away tears as she spoke.
Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel had said she remains opposed to the mother’s release because it is not in the public interest. She has said the mother can receive psychological care while in detention.
The mother’s lawyer, Olivier Béliveau, had said she needs help.
The mother was “extremely relieved” when news reached her that her daughter was safe, Béliveau said.
