The Montreal mother accused of abandoning her daughter, who was found alive on June 18 along a highway in Ontario, appeared in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield court Friday via video conference.
She had been ordered to complete a psychiatric evaluation at the Philippe-Pinel Psychiatric Institute in July. Now, an extra 30 days is needed to complete the assessment.
The 34-year-old woman remains detained and will be back in court Sept. 8. She cannot be identified due to a publication ban that protects the identity of herself and her daughter.
The woman had testified on July 4 during her two-day bail hearing. The publication ban also prevents media from publishing or sharing details from the bail hearing in order to guarantee the accused a fair trial.
On July 11, Quebec Court Judge Bertrand St-Arnaud denied her bail and ordered her to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Sûreté du Québec officers were tasked with searching for the three-year-old girl on June 15, sparking a massive police operation that lasted 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 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.