Montreal mother to remain detained at Pinel psychiatric institute, had been found not criminally responsible for abandoning daughter

The Montreal mother accused of abandoning her three-year-old daughter will remain detained at the Philippe-Pinel psychiatric institute, according to the ruling by Quebec court judge Bertrand St-Arnaud handed down Tuesday afternoon.

This comes a day after the 34-year-old was deemed not criminally responsible for the charges of criminal negligence and the unlawful abandonment of a child due to the presence of a mental illness.

Although the woman’s mental health has improved since she was first sent to Pinel in July, St-Arnaud said Tuesday her condition remains too fragile for release. Having been detained at the facility for two months, she is collaborating with those at Pinel and taking her medication, the judge added.

“The large dark cloud (…) is gone,” St-Arnaud told the woman at the end of proceedings, who was present in-person and crying.

The woman’s non-responsibility ruling was made following a joint recommendation from both the Crown and defence after reviewing her psychiatric assessment. Both parties agreed on the facts of the case, and that the woman had mental health issues that prevented her from telling right from wrong when she abandoned her child.

The report of the accused, ordered by St-Arnaud on July 11, revealed that she was living with schizoaffective disorder, which contributed to a state of mania and a psychotic break during the time of the incident. The woman reported her daughter missing on June 15 at a store west of Montreal, saying she had no memory of the previous hours or of the toddler’s whereabouts. The girl was found alive three days later in an Ontario field off Highway 417, about 120 kilometres west of Montreal, after she was spotted by a police drone. 

Psychiatrist Dr. Marie-Michèle Boulanger, who penned the report after evaluating the woman for two months, recommended the judge order the mother to remain detained at Pinel with the ability to have occasional unsupervised outings to help her reintegrate into society.

Boulanger said in a testimony Monday that the mother had a genuine desire to accept help from Pinel officials, but that it would be “premature” to release her since the woman could very well have a resurgence of her symptoms should she be released.

“The big part of the proof, and I think what basically bases the decision, is the report of the psychiatrist and the testimony of the psychiatrist,” Crown prosecutor Lili Prévost-Gravel told reporters Tuesday.

Prévost-Gravel told reporters Tuesday that the decision was not an acquittal, adding that the woman still currently poses a threat to society.

“The Criminal Code (says) that we have some tools to make sure that even if she’s not responsible, she is not liberated,” said Prévost-Gravel. “And we can put some conditions, some modalities, to make sure the public is reassured.”

The accused had been facing with a maximum sentence of 10 years for criminal negligence causing bodily harm and five years for the full penalty for the unlawful abandonment of a child.

#WATCH: The Montreal woman accused of abandoning her three-year-old daughter along an Ontario highway in June will remain detained at the Philippe-Pinel psychiatric institute after being ruled not criminally responsible. pic.twitter.com/K1ZAXoDUX2

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) September 16, 2025

Court must treat ‘precursors’ to woman’s condition, judge says

St-Arnaud, citing the psychiatrist’s recommendation in his judgement, said that the court is responsible for treating the “precursors” to the woman’s psychotic break.

“Let’s not forget that this came very, very close to causing the death of a three-year-old child,” St-Arnaud said during the hearing. 

But the court must also take into account the mental well-being of the woman and facilitate her reintegration into society, the judge said, which is why she will be allowed to occasionally leave the institute unsupervised at the discretion of a committee of Pinel experts.

The woman is additionally prohibited from contacting her daughter without prior consent from youth protection, as well as the girl’s father without his own approval. 

She is also not allowed to consume recreational drugs like cannabis during her detention. The woman will not have access to the internet without the approval of experts from Pinel.

St-Arnaud’s ruling will stand for 90 days, after which her case will be passed off to Quebec’s Mental Health Commission (CETM – Commission d’examen des troubles mentaux).

“The psychiatrist will do another report of her evolution in the past three months, and the Commission will see if it’s time for her to be released,” said Prévost-Gravel. “But the Commission can decide that she will remain detained, too.”

Father ‘shocked’ after seeing interrogation footage made public Monday: Crown

The Crown told reporters Tuesday that the victim’s father had recently learned of the evidence revealed in court.

Initially placed under a publication ban, portions of the mother’s 20-hour police interrogation were made public Monday. Another publication ban remains in place, preventing the media from publishing details that would reveal the woman and her child’s identity.

The footage took place on June 16, two days before the girl was found, and shows the woman coming to the realization that she abandoned her toddler.

“I left her on the side of the road and I went back immediately and she was gone,” the woman said in the video. “Oh my god, I have to go find her. I just realized it was all my fault.”

According to Prévost-Gravel, the mother’s mental health had been deteriorating for several months before the day of the incident, to the point where she believed her daughter’s body and mind were possessed.

On the morning of June 15, the mother posted a TikTok video holding her daughter, telling an unseen entity: “you try that again and this is going to get ugly.”

At the time, the woman was not taking medication or under psychiatric care.

It was the first time the father had seen any evidence related to the case, according to the Crown.

“He was shocked, he will need some time, but we will be there for him if he needs,” Prévost-Gravel said.

According to Prévost-Gravel, the young girl regularly has nightmares and struggles with being left alone. Now in the custody of her father, he has been forced to stay home from work so he can be with her at all times.

‘I sincerely wish you good luck’

At the end of Tuesday’s proceedings, St-Arnaud addressed the woman directly. Referring to the psychiatrist’s testimony, who said the mother was “getting ahead” in her treatment, the judge said that he is confident that she will eventually have a “normal or semi-normal life” after all of this is over.

“I sincerely wish you good luck,” he said. “You have a long road ahead of you.”

Prévost-Gravel, reacting to the verdict, told reporters that St-Arnaud’s decision balances the woman’s mental health and public safety.

“It’s a good thing that we will take care of her mental illness and protect the public,” she said

— With files from The Canadian Press