Pregnant teen found dead in a ditch days after she was to be induced

A South Carolina 17-year-old who was nine months pregnant was found dead Sunday, and now investigators are trying to figure out what happened to her.

Maylashia Shantebia Hogg was reported missing out of Barnwell, South Carolina, about 42 miles northwest of Hampton. Police found her body Sunday in a ditch, television station WRDW reported. The Barnwell County Coroner’s Office identified her remains.

The Barnwell Police Department told USA TODAY that the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division’s Special Victims Unit is investigating and deferred USA TODAY to SLED for answers about the case.

“SLED’s investigation is active and ongoing,” wrote SLED spokesperson Renée Wunderlich in an email.

SLED did not answer additional questions about the case but multiple news outlets reported the teenager's labor was set to be induced on Feb. 13, just a day before she was reported missing.

Teenager wanted to be a nurse and couldn’t wait for motherhood

“Just make sure you tell your babies that you love them, because you never know the last time that you’re gonna see your babies,” the teen’s aunt, Judy Hogg, told NewsChannel 6.

She said her niece was ready to be a mom and she doesn’t understand how someone could hurt her. She was a student at Barnwell High School and wanted to be a nurse, her aunt told WRDW.

Some social media users have said the teenager didn’t get much news coverage until she was found dead, but her aunt said police were helpful in the search for her niece.

“They were in contact with me every day to let me know the little details that was going on,” she told the outlet. “I was keeping them informed of the things, so no I don’t think so – they did an excellent job by finding her because it could have been longer.”

Hogg said she lost her sister, the teenager’s mother, three years ago. Losing her niece feels like reliving that painful experience, she said, adding that the teen was going to name the baby after her late mother.

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Police offer rewards for information on teen

The Barnwell Police Department posted about Hogg’s case the morning of Valentine’s Day and offered a $300 reward for leads that help locate the teenager.

Authorities have asked that anyone with information about Hogg email tips@sled.sc.gov. 

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.