A Montgomery County judge on Thursday deemed the mother of two missing children incompetent and refused to sign an order allowing police to take her to the location where she claims she left the children.
WRC-TV (Channel 4) reported that Catherine Hoggle told her mother and the children’s father that the children were alive and that she was willing to bring police to find them, according to prosecutors. Her lawyer reportedly said she did not want to go.
Jacob Hoggle, 2, was last seen on Sept. 7, and his 3-year-old sister, Sarah, went missing the following day in Montgomery County. Ms. Hoggle has yet to reveal the location of the children.
The judge in the case said he didn’t think Ms. Hoggle, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was competent to go on such a search, the station reported.
Montgomery County police have said they believe the children are dead and are pursuing a homicide case against Ms. Hoggle. She is charged with two counts of child neglect and with obstruction and hindering the investigation into the children’s disappearance.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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