Family says they’re ‘going to find justice’ for 17-year-old found dead
BARNWELL, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - We’re learning more about the 17-year-old who was found dead in Barnwell.
Maylashia Shantebia Hogg was nine months pregnant and was set to induce her labor on Feb. 13, officials say.
According to the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office, Maylashia was reported missing on Feb. 14.
According to the Barnwell County Coroner’s Office, her body was found Sunday afternoon by the Barnwell Police Department in a ditch.
Her family tells News 12 that she was found on Perry Street.
Maylashia’s aunt, Judy Hogg, says she was looking forward to becoming a mom, but instead, her family is planning a funeral for both of them.
Maylashia had one thing on her mind: the future. One that included being a nurse and a mom. But both of those things have been ripped from their family.
The baby was going to be named after Maylashia’s mom, who died three years ago.
“Every time I wake up in the morning, that’s the first thing I think of is Maylashia. Like dang, she gone,” said Judy.
Judy 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, outgoing, and full of life. She was a student at Barnwell High School.
“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.
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.
Deputies found Maylashia’s body just outside of a park in Barnwell.
As her family picks up the pieces, they are setting their eyes on justice.
“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,” said Judy.
The case is being investigated by the Barnwell Police Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Barnwell County Coroner’s Office.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to email SLED at [email protected].
Authorities are still searching for Michael Gene Still, who was reported missing around the same time. He was last seen on Feb. 6 at Colony West Apartments, 29 Colony West St. in Barnwell, authorities say.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
