Psyciatrist testifies in Perry Mother’s trial

Testimony has resumed in the trial of the Perry woman accused of neglect and manslaughter for forgetting her baby in a minivan one hot day last June.A Des Moines psychiatrist testified it is quite common for people to be forgetful when they have lots of things going on in their lives. Dr. Katheryn Curdue says that’s what happened to Kari Engholm when she left her seven-month-old baby in the family minivan. Curdue says “disassociation” is a common defense mechanism when the mind is struggling to cope with many things going on at once. The trial could wrap up today and it’s believed Kari Engholm will be the last witness. Engholm is on leave from her job as C-E-O of the hospital in Perry.