ROCKVILLE, Md. — The father of two young children who were last seen in 2014 said Montgomery County prosecutors told him they have enough evidence to indict the children’s mother, Catherine Hoggle, on charges of murder.
Troy Turner spoke to reporters after a Montgomery County Court judge agreed with doctors at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital that Hoggle remains incompetent to stand trial in connection with the disappearance of Jacob and Sarah, who were 2 and 3 when they disappeared in Sept. 2014.
Hoggle was charged in 2014 with neglect, abduction, and hindering — all misdemeanors. She initially gave different stories of where her children are, eventually saying they were left with an old friend.
Hoggle’s mother, Lindsey, was in the courtroom during the brief hearing, in which her daughter stood quietly.
“I am full of hope that she can become competent,” said her mother, who hasn’t talked with her daughter for several months.
Lindsey Hoggle believes her grandchildren are alive.
“I am still hopeful. I know enough about my daughter to absolutely believe her when she says they’re out there,” said the mother. “She obviously isn’t telling us, but I will continue to look for them until we resolve this mystery.”
Outside court, Hoggle’s attorney, David Felsen was asked if his client is showing improvement, during her treatment in the state-run mental health hospital.
“It’s really not up to me to say whether she’s getting better or not,” said Felsen. “I don’t have the expertise to say that.”
Turner, the children’s father, expressed frustration that Hoggle has not yet been found competent to stand trial in District Court, but agrees with the prosecution strategy.
“I believe unless she brings them home alive, this is going to move across the street (to Circuit Court),” said Turner. “At that point things will play out the way they do.”
Ramon Korionoff, spokesman for State’s Attorney John McCarthy, would not discuss whether prosecutors believed they had enough evidence already to seek murder indictments, although McCarthy has said they were building a case.
