What happened to Maylashia Hogg? Family seek answers as 9-month pregnant South Carolina teen found dead in ditch

17-year-old Maylashia Hogg went missing just a few days prior to her expected delivery date. The teenager had been missing since February 6 or 7, and her body was found on Sunday, February 18, in a ditch. Her family filed a missing report for Maylashia on February 14, as confirmed by the Barnwell County Sheriff’s Office.

The family members of the deceased are now seeking answers about whatever happened to the 17-year-old pregnant girl. They are grieving the tragic loss and planning a funeral for Maylashia Hogg as authorities continue to investigate the case.

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South Carolina teen Maylashia Hogg found dead in a ditch after being missing for a few days

Barnwall County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the victim, Maylashia Hogg, went missing somewhere around February 6 and 7. She was then reported missing on February 14, which was also her expected delivery date.

After authorities were informed, they launched search parties to look for the pregnant teenager around the area. She was found dead on Sunday at about 3.45 pm, in a ditch. WACH reported a statement from Kimberly Kite with the Broken Link Foundation, where she said that Hogg's body was found within a mile away from the place where she lived. The victim's aunt, Judy, said, as reported by Crime Online:

"'I was like, where’s Malaysia? 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..."

On Monday, February 19, the victim's family built a memorial at the alleged crime site where Hogg was found dead. WACH reported that according to Hogg's cousin, she was last seen on February 8, 2024. The family revealed that they got concerned when Maylashia Hogg didn't appear at her induction appointment on February 13.

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The victim's family seek answers

Maylashia Hogg's family believed that she was happy about the baby. Crime Online reported that she wanted to become a nurse and had also decided to name the newborn baby after her mom who passed away years ago.

"Every time I wake up in the morning, that’s the first thing I think of is Malaysia like dang she gone. That just brought back so many memories. It opened up so many wounds, like losing her was like losing my sister over again," Judy said.

Judy added:

"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."

While the Barnwell Police Department is investigating the case, they are also receiving assistance from other law enforcement agencies, including the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the Barnwell County Coroner’s Office. Police are yet to identify the suspect(s). An autopsy has been scheduled for Wednesday.