New Reward Offered for Missing Toddlers; Searchers Needed

Troy Turner – the father of two Montgomery County toddlers who disappeared 10 weeks ago – has announced a partnership with the Victims’ Rights Foundation to create a reward fund for the return of the children.

The website to donate to the reward fund is here. Meanwhile, police want residents to again search their property for anything unusual.

“The biggest thing is I want everyone to know how much I appreciate this community and all that they’ve done so far. We definitely, 100 percent believe that my babies are out there and we’ll continue to look for them until we bring them home,” Turner said at the Thursday news conference, which can be viewed on Montgomery Community Media’s website.

Family members and police have failed over the past two months to persuade Catherine Hoggle to divulge the location of her two youngest children, Jacob Hoggle, 2, and Sarah Hoggle, 3.

According to Montgomery County authorities, Hoggle is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. She maintains the children are safe, but won’t tell their father, her parents or authorities where she left the toddlers.

As a result, the Clarksburg mother faces three misdemeanor charges -- detaining a child, neglect of a minor and obstructing and hindering. Montgomery County Police have said they are shifting the Hoggle case to a homicide investigation.

The public is asked to turn out Sunday to help with a grid search for the children.

More volunteers are needed to search – weekdays and weekends – and can sign up on the website findsarahfindjacob.com for a shift.

Sarah’s birthday is Nov. 20, which Turner said will be the hardest day he can imagine.

The Victims’ Rights Foundation, which helps raise reward money to solve criminal cases, on Thursday announced it had started a reward fund to help find the Hoggle children. All money raised will be given to whoever finds the toddlers.

Residents Asked to Search Properties

Capt. Darren Francke with Montgomery County Police Department told reporters that searchers will go over some areas that were covered early on since the terrain has changed with the season. Police also want area residents to again check their yards: check for anything that’s changed, anything suspicious.

“We want to get closure for Troy, and for his family, and locate Sarah and Jacob,” Francke said.

Turner says family members have not been able to see Catherine recently. She maintains that the children are alive and with someone, whom she will not name.

In court Nov. 7, it was revealed Hoggle, 27, reportedly told her mother and Turner she could take police to the children, according to NBC Washington.

The judge at the hearing would not sign an order for Hoggle’s release from a state psychiatric hospital to go with the police, saying he does not think she is competent. Hoggle reportedly changed her mind about collaborating with police when she arrived in court.

Francke said police will abide by a judge’s order not to talk to Catherine. But, he said she was the one to reach out to police through her family members with an offer to take investigators to a house in the Darnestown/Clarksburg area where she claims the children are.

While it’s a long-shot, the toddlers could be in that remote area, Francke said.

Investigators have no physical evidence that the children have been hurt, Francke said.

Volunteer searchers can meet at the Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Road in Germantown on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., say organizers.

Jacob was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts. Sarah was last seen wearing a pink tank top and blue shorts. Jacob is 3 feet tall and weighs 25 pounds. Sarah is 3 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. Since it’s been over 10 weeks since the children were last seen, their appearances may have been changed.

Timeline of Events

On Sept. 7, Catherine Hoggle borrowed her father’s gray 2012 Nissan Rogue SUV and said she was picking up pizza for Jacob. She returned three hours later without the boy or pizza and told her parents she had left Jacob at a playmate’s house.

On Sept. 8, Hoggle left home with Sarah and told Turner she was taking the child to a day-care center. That afternoon when Turner asked about the children’s whereabouts, Hoggle would not tell him where the children were. Both Hoggle and Turner set off for the police station, but stopped at a Chick-Fil-A near the Germantown Transit Center where Hoggle left the restaurant without Turner noticing and disappeared. On Sept. 12, Hoggle was found and arrested in Germantown.

A Go Fund Me account was previously established to create a reward in the case and had $2,892 in the account Friday.

Montgomery County Police ask anyone with information about the Hoggle children to call 240-773-5070.

»Troy Turner, father of missing 2-year-old Jacob Hoggle and 3 year-old Sarah Hoggle, courtesy of Montgomery Community Media.

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