A Montgomery County mother suspected in the 2014 disappearance of her two children has repeatedly tried to escape from a maximum-security psychiatric hospital.
Catherine Hoggle, 29, has tried to escape at least eight times from Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, her attorney, David Felsen, confirmed. In each of those escape attempts, Hoggle grabbed a staff member's security badge and ran toward the door of her locked unit, the Washington Post reported.
Felsen says Hoggle's escape attempts were prompted by a desire to see her children.
"She's also made several statements that the reason why she wants to get out is to see her children. That she's done everything she could to protect her children.
At one point, Hoggle made it through one level of security, but she never made it off hospital grounds.
Hoggle is suspected in the disappearance of her two children, Sarah and Jacob Hoggle, who were 3 and 2 years old when they went missing in September 2014. She was the last person known to be with the children.
She told authorities that she left them with a friend, but has never given any further details.
Hoggle was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia before their disappearance.
There have been no sightings of Sarah or Jacob.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Hoggle was charged with child neglect and abduction and hindering an investigation, but has been found incompetent to stand trial several times.
Prosecutors believe she is faking incompetency so that the court can release her to the community after a period of time.
Her attorney, David Felsen, told News4's Darcy Spencer Hoggle suffers from profound mental illness and this is a medical issue, not a legal issue.
Sarah and Jacob's father, Troy Turner, told News4's Darcy Spencer he has an issue with Hoggle being treated as a patient, rather than a criminal.
Turner has maintained he is determined to find out what happened to his children.
