Okay, I'm not sure if this interview has been mentioned or shared on the thread already - my apologies if it has - but I'm going to share this March 2018 blog post with you guys (link below). In this blog interview, Troy Turner's sister, Raelane Turner, opens up to the blog's author, who is also her friend, about the children's disappearance. I believe that Troy has three sisters to whom he is close, and who were all very involved in Sarah and Jacob's lives. Remember the
Washington Post article where Dan Morse reports that Catherine tried (and failed) to get a peace order against one of Troy's sisters? I think it may have been Raelane, but she's not explicitly mentioned in that particular article. Anyway, here it is:
What happened to Sarah and Jacob? A conversation with their aunt – Raelane Turner
In the blog post, Raelane shares quite a bit of what she knows regarding her niece and nephew, as well as some eye-opening tidbits about Catherine herself. She brings up the questions she still has about the disappearance and ensuing criminal case, expressing her thoughts and theories about what really happened. Raelane comes across as a very caring, involved aunt who just wants closure like the rest of the family, and for justice to prevail. I admire her ability to be so logical and well-spoken in a situation that would drive so many people crazy with grief.
I found these points to be of particular interest:
a) The Scientology connection. Catherine, though she didn't - in Raelane's words - "really talk to people," was possibly interested in Scientology. This is a controversial faith/movement that is known for its intense secrecy and its large but very labyrinthine network of members, known to develop complex systems of communication and rank amongst members. It's been described by former members as being akin to the military, in both its operations and the ranking system. Scientology has come under fire throughout the decades for some shady stuff, including compelling its members to become estranged from friends and family, even to disappear altogether and go into hiding with their kids - whereabouts unknown to all but a few. Was this something Catherine was drawn to? Did someone try to recruit her, knowing her vulnerability as someone with a mental illness? Remember, she hadn't been compliant with treatment - she was known to go off her meds. That could have made her susceptible to all kinds of groups that unfortunately exploit those with mental issues.
b) The man with the tattooed wrist.
Who on Earth was this guy?? I definitely think that establishing this man's identity is such an integral part of the puzzle when it comes to cracking this case. Have investigators looked at a patient list of Catherine's outpatient day program she attended in the community? That's where she had been on the day of the kids' disappearance, prior to when Troy picked her up and then insisted she tell him where the kids were (and we all know how that turned out). Troy has previously stated in the many interviews he's done that he has no way of knowing who his former partner may have come into contact with during the times she had been committed, or in her outpatient program. If there's someone she got to know, it's quite likely that they/he was another patient like herself. What other opportunities did she have to meet someone who would potentially become an accomplice? She had no job at the time - didn't even have a valid driver's license. This is someone who just didn't have many opportunities to socialize beyond the family.
Sidenote: I have seen it mentioned that Catherine once took classes in Pre-Law at Montgomery College, I believe it was. It could have been around the time that she was a waitress at the Green Turtle, before she had the kids. Just an interesting fact.
c) Why did Randy Hoggle go to Pennsylvania the day after his daughter and grandchildren disappeared? This is bizarre to me, and apparently raised some eyebrows within the family. I certainly hope that he wasn't involved in some way. I'm sure that he had a completely benign reason to go out-of-state, and a lot of this information may have already been investigated and can't be disclosed to the public. So, as a member of the public, I'm just left unsure about the reason for his little trip the day after, and if it "checks out." I think I've mentioned my thoughts on this thread before about how I think it's not okay to drag other family members into this, or to imply that Catherine's parents either aided her or are protecting her from justice. Lindsay Hoggle, her mom, has actually been very vocal in the media about how she wishes her daughter would finally be found competent, and for some time she continually phoned her daughter in an effort to get some information out of her (until Catherine ceased contact).
These are things that we can only speculate about for now. But, if this case moves to trial - and let's hope it will before she's released - don't be surprised if all of this information comes out when Catherine is finally questioned.
