A Florida mother who neighbors said offered to baptize local children is a person of interest in the deaths of her two young daughters, numerous sources reported.
Tinessa Hogan, 36, is a person of interest in the deaths of her two daughters, 9-year-old Destiny and 7-year-old Daysha, who were found dead in a canal in Lauderhill on Tuesday, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
UPDATE: 7-year old Daysha Hogan and her 9-year old sister Destiny, have been identified as the girls found dead in a #Lauderhill canal under suspicious circumstances. The children’s mother, 36-year old Tinessa Hogan is being questioned as a person of interest. @WPLGLocal10 #News pic.twitter.com/mVKJQgmzFW
— Terrell Forney (@TerrellWPLG) June 23, 2021
One day before the girls’ bodies were found, Hogan was reportedly seen in the water of the canal asking if she could baptize a neighbor’s children. Cheryl Robinson, a neighbor, described Hogan as having a “cult-like personality,” according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Marie Williams, another neighbor, said Hogan had asked her if she could baptize her children in the canal, an offer Williams told the South Florida Sun Sentinel she declined. (RELATED: Justin Bieber Shares Photos Of His Baptism With Wife Hailey Baldwin)
Other neighbors reportedly said they had seen Hogan around the canal, which is located outside a condominium complex, on multiple occasions, and had seen her with a Bible near the canal, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Lt. Mike Bigwood said both girls were seen with Hogan at about 5 p.m. Monday, and then were found dead nine hours apart the next day, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
A resident records on his cell phones as mother, Tinessa Hogan, was taken into custody following the deaths of her two young children in #Lauderhill She is now considered a person of interest in what police are calling a suspicious death investigation. @WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/76asatD0yt
— Roy Ramos (@RRamosWPLG) June 24, 2021
The two girls were found in locations in the canal that are roughly seven minutes apart in walking distance, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Destiny’s body was found Tuesday afternoon, and Daysha’s body was found at around 8:45 p.m. that day.
Hogan was taken into custody, but police would not say whether she was being held under the Baker Act, which would place Hogan in a mental health hospital for up to 72 hours, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Police reportedly said Hogan’s behavior was “so alarming” that she was taken away in an ambulance after Destiny’s body was found.
A neighbor who had filmed Hogan being detained by police said she could hear Hogan shouting Bible passages and “I am God” and “I am the devil,” according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Lt. Michael Santiago told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that there were no clear witnesses to the two girls’ causes of death. Detectives are investigating causes of death, and there were no overt signs of foul play.