From left: Catherine Hoggle (Montgomery County State”s Attorney’s Office), Sarah Hoggle and Jacob Hoggle (Montgomery County Police).
A mother from Maryland finds herself incarcerated once more, just days after her release from a psychiatric facility where she spent the past three years after being declared incompetent to stand trial for the murders of her two children, who are still missing but presumed dead.
The Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office announced that Catherine Hoggle, 38, was indicted Thursday on two counts of murder related to the disappearance of 3-year-old Sarah Hoggle and 2-year-old Jacob Hoggle. Sarah and Jacob were last seen with their mother on September 7, 2014. Authorities suspect the children are deceased, although their bodies have not been located.
Initially, Hoggle faced charges of child neglect and obstruction, followed by murder charges. However, she was found incompetent to stand trial about 30 times over almost five years. Her attorney at that period described Hoggle as a “profoundly mentally ill woman.”
In November 2022, a judge dismissed the charges and committed Hoggle to a maximum-security psychiatric hospital. This decision was based on a state law requiring defendants to be deemed competent to stand trial within five years; otherwise, the charges must be dismissed.
“This is not a double jeopardy situation,” indicated the State’s Attorney’s Office at that time. “Although the judge today ruled Hoggle incompetent to stand trial, he also involuntarily committed her to a psychiatric facility indefinitely. If doctors ever assess her condition as improved and she is released, the State retains the right to re-charge her with murder.”
After Hoggle’s recent release, prosecutors have acted accordingly. A grand jury was convened by prosecutors, which led to her indictment on murder charges, and Montgomery Police Department officers apprehended her on Friday.
Her attorney, David Felsen, said in a statement to local NBC affiliate WRC that he did not believe her detention is “proper or appropriate.”
“Legally, nothing has changed since 2022,” Felsen said in a statement.
Troy Turner, Sarah and Jacob’s father, and his family released a statement to WRC.
“We are following the latest developments closely and continue to work with authorities to seek justice for Sarah and Jacob. We ask that you please respect our privacy as we continue to rebuild our lives while continuing to search for our babies,” their statement said.
As the missing children’s mother was committed, the search for them continued, and the investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about Sarah or Jacob is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.
