A Montreal woman pleaded not guilty Friday to drowning her son in Lake Champlain, and was taken to a Vermont state hospital for a month-long evaluation to determine whether she is capable of standing trial.

Prosecutors charged Louise Desnoyers, 48, with first-degree murder in the death of her son, Nicholas Desnoyers-Langlois, 8, whose body was found in Lake Champlain on Tuesday.

Louise Desnoyers, who has been charged with first-degree murder in her son's death, is undergoing a psychiatric assessment at a Vermont hospital.
Louise Desnoyers, who has been charged with first-degree murder in her son's death, is undergoing a psychiatric assessment at a Vermont hospital.
(Rob Swanson/Associated Press)
Desnoyers was found Tuesday in a shed on Isle La Motte suffering from self-inflicted injuries, police said.

After a search, her son was found floating about seven metres from the shore off the island, which is just south of the Canadian border.

When investigators spoke in Montreal with Réal Langlois, Desnoyers's husband, he confirmed that his son was missing, police said, adding that Langlois said that after he and his wife had talked about divorcing or separating, she left with the boy. Langlois also told police she had talked about suicide before she left.

If convicted, Desnoyers could face 35 years to life in prison.

With files from the Canadian Press and the Associated Press