TIL CreativesMontreal mother breaks down in court after being charged with criminal negligence in her daughter鈥檚 disappearance
A Montreal mother accused of abandoning her three-year-old daughter on the side of a rural Ontario highway is now facing an upgraded charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, authorities confirmed Thursday(July 3).The 34-year-old woman, who cannot be named due to a court-ordered publication ban protecting her child鈥檚 identity. She was arrested on June 16, one day after reporting the girl missing in the town of Coteau-du-Lac, Que., about 50 kilometers west of Montreal. Her call to police triggered an intensive three-day search across two provinces.The child was found alive but dehydrated and hungry on June 18 near Highway 417 in St. Albert, Ontario, roughly 150 kilometers from her family鈥檚 home. She was discovered alone in a grassy area by Ontario Provincial Police officers, concluding a search effort that included helicopters, drones, canine units, and hundreds of volunteers.The mother initially faced a charge of child abandonment. Still, during a bail hearing on Thursday at the Valleyfield courthouse in Quebec, prosecutors added the more serious charge of criminal negligence causing bodily harm. This indictable offence carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.According to the charge sheet, the woman is accused of failing to 鈥減rovide the necessaries of life for a child under the age of 16.鈥 Crown Prosecutor Lili Pr茅vost-Gravel told reporters that the mother鈥檚 alleged actions endangered the child鈥檚 life and well-being.Live EventsThe mother broke down in tears in court as a Quebec provincial police officer testified. She appeared emotional but attentive, occasionally wiping her eyes. Under the conditions of the publication ban, no evidence presented during the hearing can be publicly released.The Crown is opposing her release, arguing she remains a risk to the child and could undermine public confidence in the justice system. Her defense lawyer has proposed a release plan that includes mental health support, stating earlier that the mother 鈥渘eeds help.鈥滱uthorities continue to investigate how the child came to be abandoned, including a reported six-hour window during which the mother鈥檚 whereabouts remain unclear. Investigators are also appealing to the public for information about a bilingual woman who may have interacted with the mother during that period.The bail hearing is scheduled to resume on Friday, July 4.(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News onMontrealcriminal negligencechild abandonment chargesOntarioMontreal mother chargedmissing childhungerdehydratedchild neglectchild abuse(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online….moreless
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