Quebec mother accused of abandoning toddler to return to court in 1 month

A Quebec mother accused of abandoning her child on the side of a road near St-Albert, Ont., last June will have to wait another month to hear the results of her psychological evaluation. 

The Philippe-Pinel National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry — where she is being held in Montreal — asked the court for an extra 30 days to complete the evaluation. It was ordered by the court last month after she was denied bail.  

The mother, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, is facing two charges: child abandonment and criminal negligence causing bodily harm. 

The child was the subject of a massive search operation after she went missing on June 15. Her mother reported her missing at a store in Coteau-du-Lac, Que., 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. 

Police called it a surprising outcome given how long she had been missing. When they found the child, police said she was dehydrated and hungry.

Friday, the mother appeared via video conference from a room at the Pinel Institute. She was wearing the same grey sweatshirt she's worn multiple times throughout the procedures.

Judge Mylène Grégoire ordered the assessment to be ready in 30 days and asked that the woman return to court — in person — to hear the results of her evaluation on Sept. 8.

The mother spoke only once to thank the judge and tell her she understood.