Highway 417

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A three-year-old girl was found sitting alone in the tall grass by the side of Highway 417, her world reduced to the patch of field where she waited for three days. “I’m waiting for my mom. She told me to wait,” the child told police when she was found. It was a line that captured the uncertainty, fear, and hope that defined the search.

Now, with the child safe, the focus has shifted from the fields and forests of Quebec and Ontario to the courtroom. The girl’s mother, whose identity is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, appeared before a judge Thursday in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. She faces new charges of criminal negligence causing bodily harm in addition to child abandonment – charges that stem from the events leading up to the intensive search spanning both provinces.

At Thursday’s hearing, the Crown opposed her release, citing public safety concerns and the need to maintain confidence in the justice system. The defense argued for bail, but the decision was postponed. Proceedings will continue on Friday.

With the publication ban, much about how the little girl came to be alone and how she survived those days remains undisclosed. Authorities have released only basic facts: the child was found by an OPP drone near Saint-Albert, dehydrated but alive, after three days on her own.

Those who watched the media reports related to the search and worried for days, felt relief and now await answers from the courts, and for details that may not come for some time. The child’s recovery and privacy has been established as a priority.

Editor’s note: In accordance with a court-ordered publication ban, The Suburban is not publishing any information that could identify those involved in this case.