This month marks 10 years since the disappearance of 2-year-old Jacob and 3-year-old Sarah Hoggle. They were last seen with their mother, Catherine Hoggle, on Sept. 7, 2014. Shortly after the childrens’ disappearance, Catherine Hoggle, who suffers from schizophrenia, was charged with misdemeanor child neglect but she was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial. She was committed to the Clifton T. Perkins psychiatric hospital in Jessup, Md. on Sept. 24, 2014.
In Sept. 2017, with the children still missing, Hoggle was indicted on two counts of murder.
However, in 2022, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Robert Greenberg ruled that Hoggle was incompetent to stand trial, and the murder charges were eventually dropped. Her condition has prevented her from participating in her defense, as Judge James Bonifant later reaffirmed.
Jacob and Sarah’s remains have never been found, and their father, Troy Turner, continues to search for answers. The community continues to grieve as the case remains unsolved, with questions about what truly happened to the Hoggle children still lingering after a decade.
“We will never give up trying to bring Sarah and Jacob home, no matter wherever or however they are,” Turner told WTOP. “The focus has deviated too far from my babies for too many years. There are laws in place to protect Catherine, but not Sarah and Jacob.”
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy told MCM, “As we mark 10 years, our thoughts and prayers are with Sarah and Jacob’s family. We continue to be in a frustrating waiting period. Catherine Hoggle is not free in the community, as she remains committed. However, there are currently no criminal charges pending against her. The charges were dismissed by the court. As a matter of law, double jeopardy does not attach to that dismissal. Should her mental capacity improve by way of treatment or medication, we remain committed to pursuing this matter criminally. We are hopeful that at some point she will become competent to stand trial.”
