Maylashia Hogg: Family of missing pregnant teen vows to get justice after her body was found in a ditch

BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA: A missing pregnant teenager was found dead in South Carolina, and now the family and friends of the victim are vowing to get justice for her. 

The body of 17-year-old Maylashia Hogg, who was nine months pregnant, was discovered in a ditch in Barnwell County, South Carolina at about 3.45 pm on Sunday, February 18 police confirmed, per WACH Fox 57.

What happened to Maylashia Hogg? 

Maylashia Shantebia Hogg was nine months pregnant and was set to go into labor on February 13 as per what officials said.

The student from Barnwell High School was discovered less than 0.5 miles from her residence, as reported by her relatives. The teen was thrilled to become a mother and had already given her child the name London Charity in remembrance of her mother, who passed away a year and a half ago. 

"Whoever did it needs to be in jail," the victim’s cousin, Robert Payne, told WACH Fox 57. "She was only a child. A child with a child.”

“I know somebody did something to her,” he added. Hogg was reported missing by her aunt on February 8, WACH Fox 57 reported. After receiving no response from the police, the family contacted investigative researcher Kimberly Kite with the Broken Link Foundation, a charity that helps find missing people, for help.

When Hogg missed her induction appointment booked for February 13, the family grew more concerned. "When a family reports a loved one missing police have got to listen to the family,” a relative told WACH Fox 57. Hogg planned to return to school after having her baby and study to become a nurse, her aunt said. 

Maylashia Hogg remembered as fun-loving and full of life

A memorial was held for Hogg and her unborn daughter on Monday, February 19 at the location where she was found. No suspects have been identified as of now. 

Maylashia’s aunt, Judy Hogg says the loss of her niece brings back a familiar pain. "That just brought back so many memories. It opened up so many wounds, like losing her was like losing my sister over again. I was living through and is still living through her kids,” said Judy.

Judy says Maylashia was young, fun-loving, and full of life.

“She was over the top. She was talking about it. She was showing me the sonogram of the baby. We had already had a nickname for the baby. We was going to call her our lil Tink Tink,” said Judy.

She added everything changed when Maylashia didn’t show up just before she was set to be induced. “I was like, where’s Maylashia? But then when I talked to my dad, he said that someone had saw her and that she had lost her phone, that she would be home Monday because she knew that I had to take her to the doctor on Tuesday because she was going to be induced on Tuesday. After she didn’t show up Monday, I was like, ‘Dad, something’s wrong,’” said Judy.

Anyone with information about the case is urged to email SLED mailto:tips@sled.sc.gov.