WASHINGTON — Lawyer David Felsen says his client, Catherine Hoggle, suffers from a mental illness so severe that she may not remember what happened to her children, 4-year-old Sarah and 2-year-old Jacob.
“Even if she were able to, no defendant can be forced to give evidence against themselves,” Felsen said.
The children’s father, Troy Turner, is growing frustrated as the months tick by.
Turner says he spoke to Hoggle a couple of months ago and that she seemed disconnected.
“It was as if nothing is going on. Like, ‘Hey, how’s it going? I got new glasses.’ I’m like, ‘OK. Now, about the kids.’ She said she was working on bringing them home.”
Hoggle is charged with abduction, neglect and hindering law enforcement’s investigation ever since she took Sarah and Jacob between Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, 2014. Hoggle remains incompetent to stand trial.
Lindsey Hoggle, Sarah and Jacob’s grandmother, says Hoggle is lucid and knew what she was doing when the children went missing.
“I’m confident that she is aware of what happened. She is very bright,” Lindsey Hoggle says.
Still Hoggle won’t offer any details about the childrens’ whereabouts.
Lindsey Hoggle says she speaks to her daughter every day.
Montgomery County Police think the children are dead. They’re building a homicide case against Hoggle.
“[Police] have not provided any information publicly or to us that the children are not alive, so we wait to see what the investigation reveals and we’ll just have to proceed from there,” Felsen said. “But there’s no question this is a very difficult case. What happened September a year ago is still a mystery.”
Turner said he can’t give up hope.
“Where’s any hard evidence that they’re not out there?” he asked. “I just ask that people continue to be vigilant. Understand there’s a chance they are out there.”
Hoggle is scheduled for another status hearing Sept. 18.
