Catherine Hoggle, a Maryland mother whose two children went missing in 2014, has been reindicted and charged with their murders, more than a decade after they were last seen. Hoggle, now 38, was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance of her children, 3-year-old Sarah and 2-year-old Jacob.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, Hoggle has long suffered from schizophrenia and spent years hospitalized at a state psychiatric facility, where she was repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial. Following her release last month, a grand jury reindicted her on the same murder charges that were dismissed by a judge in 2022 due to a five-year legal deadline.
The case dates back to September 2014, when Sarah and Jacob were reported missing by their father, Troy Turner. At the time, Hoggle also disappeared. She was located days later in a nearby town, but refused to reveal the whereabouts of her children. Hoggle was initially charged with abduction and neglect, then sent to the state-run Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center for treatment.
In 2017, she was indicted for murder, but a judge later ruled she was not mentally competent to stand trial. Under Maryland law, prosecutors had five years to restore her competency or have the charges dropped. That deadline expired in 2022, leading to the dismissal of the charges and her continued civil commitment for psychiatric care.
Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy had indicated at the time that he would refile charges if Hoggle were ever released. With her recent discharge from the hospital, prosecutors acted quickly.
Hoggle appeared in court via video on Monday for a bail review hearing. However, the proceeding was postponed until Tuesday after her attorney, David Felsen, cited a scheduling conflict and accused the prosecution of using the media to sway public opinion.
“These are the exact same charges that were dismissed in 2022,” Felsen told reporters outside the courthouse. He also questioned the legality of her arrest, noting that Hoggle remains under civil commitment for mental health care. “I don’t believe the state has any new evidence.”
It remains unclear why Hoggle was released from psychiatric care or what ongoing treatment she is receiving. Felsen stressed that the system is designed to protect public safety: “We don’t hold people just to hold people.”
Hoggle’s mother and other family members, including Troy Turner, attended the court session. Turner wore a shirt that read “Justice for Sarah and Jacob,” but declined to comment. He previously told The Associated Press in 2014 that Hoggle had shown signs of psychosis before her diagnosis with paranoid schizophrenia, later suggesting she may have exaggerated her condition.