WASHINGTON – A local non-profit is putting up $1,000 to assist with the continuing search for two children who have been missing since September.
Standing with the family of 2-year-old Jacob and 3-year old-Sarah Hoggle, Gregory Wims, president of the Victim’s Rights Foundation, announced the reward.
“One-hundred percent of the funds that are raised will be given to that person or persons who find — or help find — our two missing children,” Wims says. The Victim’s Rights Foundation is contributing the first $1,000 to the new reward fund.
At the playground where Troy Turner used to take his children to play, the father of the missing children talked about the frustration of believing his wife knows where the children are, but who won’t say.
“I miss them every day, more and more. And you know, with Sarah’s birthday coming up a week from today, that’s probably going to be the hardest day I can imagine to get through.”
The children’s mother 27-year-old Catherine Hoggle has been arrested and charged in the children’s disappearance.
Sarah and Jacob were last seen Sept. 7. Police and Troy Turner say Hoggle has insisted that the children are alive and are alright.
The issue came up in a recent hearing where prosecutors pleaded with a judge to allow Hoggle to be released to show them where the children are. That request was denied when the judge questioned Hoggle’s mental competency. Her family says she’s been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
At Thursday’s news conference announcing the reward, Catherine Hoggle’s mother Lindsey Hoggle talked about recent conversations with her daughter.
“I’ve spoken several times with her, and my message is the same each time: The right thing to do is to tell us where the babies are.”
Captain Darren Francke, with the Montgomery County Police Department, says the search for the Hoggle children continues. While there have been no sightings of the children since their disappearance in September, Francke says police have not given up.
“Because honestly, my investigators don’t want to let it go. I have a hard time still, getting them to stand down to get some rest,” he says.
With the arrival of cold weather, Francke says the search has taken a slightly different approach.
“The leaves have fallen off the trees, changing the terrain out there,” he says. “We’re going to be searching those areas again.”
In the past, police have expressed doubts about whether the children were still alive. Both Francke and Turner talked about the chance of finding Sarah and Jacob alive.
“I know that they’re working hard and that their hearts are in it. They’re doing their job. Their job is to statistically look at what’s probable and rule it out as we go. My job as my children’s father is to believe in my kids and believe in myself and go find them. Period,” Turner says.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report. Follow @kateryanWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.
