The family of a pregnant South Carolina teen wants answers after she missed her induction date and was found dead just days later.
The body of 17-year-old Maylashia Hogg, nine months pregnant, was discovered on Sunday, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division confirmed to 360aproko on Wednesday. According to The People Sentinel, Hogg was located just a few blocks from her home in Barnwell.
Hogg was last seen on Feb. 8. She was reported missing on Feb. 14, after her family grew concerned when she missed her induction appointment the day before, according to Fox affiliate WACH.
Kimberly Kite, the founder of The BrokenLink Foundation, an advocacy group that searches for missing people, told ABC affiliate WPDE that Hogg’s family reached out to her after they received no help from authorities in notifying the public of her disappearances.
“When a family reports a loved one missing, police have got to listen to the family,” Kite told WACH.
Maylashia’s cousin Robert Payne told WACH that she was naming her daughter London Charity, after her late mother who died in 2022.
“She was excited to be a mom,” Payne told WACH. “I know somebody did something to her.”
Maylashia’s aunt, Judy Hogg, told local news station WRDW that losing her niece “opened up so many wounds,” adding that it was like losing her sister ― Maylashia’s mother ― all “over again.”
“We’re gonna find justice. We’re gonna get them, whoever did it. Just know. We’re gonna get you. We ain’t gonna stop,” Judy Hogg told the station.
Judy Hogg said her niece had planned to return to school to study nursing after she gave birth.
Online sleuths have speculated Hogg’s disappearance is related to another missing persons case. The Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that they are also searching for Michael Still, 47, who was last seen on Feb. 6 at his home, two days before Hogg was last seen.
Although police said there is “no concrete evidence” that suggests Still’s case is related to Hogg’s, deputies said they will continue to “follow all leads” that could tie them together.
