BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A woman accused of leaving her 2- and 4-year-old daughters to die in a remote area of northwestern North Dakota will face trial.
Court documents in the case against 25-year-old Michelle Wounded Face show that a mental health examination found her competent to stand trial. She pleaded not guilty to child abuse and neglect on Wednesday.
Wounded Face is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. She's accused of abandoning her daughters in a car for more than three hours on January 3rd, in bitter cold weather. They survived.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland ordered the examination in February. She was evaluated at a federal medical center in Texas, where a psychologist determined that she can understand the charges against her.
She is in custody in Jamestown.