Quebec judge Bertrand St-Arnaud has ruled that the woman accused of leaving her toddler in June is not criminally responsible due to a mental disorder. The decision was made at a courtroom in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Que., on Monday. The woman, whose identity is protected under a publication ban safeguarding her daughter, faced charges of child abandonment and criminal negligence causing bodily harm.
The three-year-old girl went missing in June, sparking an extensive search. She was discovered alive three days later on the side of a highway in Ontario, approximately 150 kilometers away from where she was last seen.
Judge St-Arnaud emphasized that the mother’s mental health condition impaired her ability to differentiate between right and wrong when she abandoned her child. According to a psychiatric report presented in court, she suffers from schizoaffective disorder, which can result in depression, mania, and psychotic episodes.
Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel stated outside the courtroom that the woman was in a manic state with psychotic symptoms, including auditory hallucinations, at the time of the incident. The psychiatrist’s report indicated an improvement in the mother’s psychological state following medication, but she remains fragile.
The court confirmed that the woman’s mental health had deteriorated over several months, leading her to believe her daughter was possessed. On the morning of June 15, she sent distressing messages to co-workers and posted a troubling video on TikTok. She left her Montreal residence abruptly, convinced she was being followed.
Later that day, the woman reported her daughter missing at a store in Coteau-du-Lac, Que. The Crown described her interactions with the police as confusing and disjointed. A search ensued, and the child was eventually located by an Ontario Provincial Police drone near Casselman, Ont.
The toddler, now under her father’s care, is experiencing nightmares and fear of abandonment, necessitating constant supervision. She also requires ongoing psychiatric treatment. Upon being found, she was dehydrated, soiled, with insect bites, poison ivy lesions, clenched fists, and an unchanged diaper leading to swelling and infection, requiring hospitalization.
The mother’s lawyer, Olivier Béliveau, expressed her distress and the need for assistance. She is currently detained at a psychiatric hospital in Montreal. The “not criminally responsible” verdict indicates that the woman’s mental disorder impaired her understanding of her actions’ nature and wrongfulness.
