A woman accused of faking her death and that of her son before crossing the border into the United States has pleaded not guilty to the charges she faces in Canada.

Dawn Walker, who appeared by phone, told Saskatoon provincial court that she elects to go to trial.

Earlier this week, a lawyer for Walker indicated she intends to have a judge-alone trial and waived her right to a preliminary hearing.

Walker and her seven-year-old child were reported missing in July after her pickup truck was found near a river at a park south of Saskatoon.

Two weeks later, the mother and son were found by U.S. authorities in Oregon City, Ore.

She faces nine charges, including public mischief, child abduction, forging a passport, possessing forged documents, identity theft and identity fraud.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2022.