Lake Sakakawea in North Dakota. Photo from North Dakota Tourism Department

Federal public defenders are asking for a mental evaluation of a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota who has been charged with child abuse.

Michelle Wounded Face, 24, is accused of leaving her two daughters, aged 2 and 4, alone in car on a freezing-cold day. The incident occurred earlier this month on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation of North Dakota.

Prior to her arrest, a tribal officer observed Wounded Face making incoherent statements about President Barack Obama and energy development on the reservation. Now that she's in custody, she's exhibited strange behaviors, including drinking toilet water and attempting to eat pillow stuffing, her attorneys say.

"At this point in time, it appears that the competency of Ms. Wounded Face is at issue, specifically whether or not she fully understands the nature of the charges that have been filed against her and can actively and appropriately participate in her defense should the case move forward, " the attorneys said in a court filing. "The competency of Ms. Wounded Face at the time of the alleged acts is also at issue, specifically, whether, as a result of severe mental disease or defect, Ms. Wounded Face was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of her alleged acts."

Wounded Face's daughters survived being left alone in the car near Lake Sakakawea on the reservation. Their present whereabouts have not been reported.

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