A Maryland woman who has been held in a mental hospital for months after two of her young children went missing is still incompetent to stand trial, but is improving, it was revealed during a hearing Thursday morning.
Catherine Hoggle, whom police say has paranoid schizophrenia, has been receiving treatment since her children, 2-year-old Jacob and 3-year old Sarah, were last seen in September. She has refused to say where they are, and authorities have said they believe the children are dead.
Hoggle is charged with misdemeanor child neglect. Investigators want to pursue a homicide case against her.
She appeared in front of a judge Thursday for the first time since November. Records from Perkins Hospital Center reveal Hoggle is still mentally incompetent, but her condition is improving.
A Montgomery County judge said Thursday that he would immediately order a trial if he receives a report stating she is competent.
Prosecutor John McCarthy said if Hoggle is determined to be competent in the future, he will look into bringing additional charges, and would use a grand jury as an investigative tool to determine what those charges would be.
"We've remained sort of in a holding pattern because that's the right thing to do, to allow us to have the maximum options for exploring other leads that may develop in this case and having the availability of using the grand jury," McCarthy said.
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Troy Turner, the father of the missing children, said he spoke with Hoggle via phone a few weeks ago.
"She's been saying since before Thanksgiving [that] she's ready to bring them home, and things like that," Turner said. "...I'll believe it when they're in my car."
Hoggle's attorneys say prosecutors have not given them discovery of the evidence in the case.
She is due back in court July 10.
In mid-April, authorities once again searched for Sarah and Jacob, but didn't find anything. Police said there were no new leads.
Police asked residents of the Darnestown, Boyds and Clarksburg areas to again search their property for any sign of the children.
