Father of Mobile girl missing since 2012 charged with murdering her: Police

Father of Mobile girl missing since 2012 charged with murdering her: Police

The father of a 14-year-old Mobile girl reported missing in 2012 has been indicted on murder charges in connection with her death, police said Friday.

Demetric Hooper, who was last seen with then-14-year-old Brittany Robinson before she was reported missing by her mother on June 22, 2012, was indicted by a Mobile County grand jury this month on murder charges, said Cpl. Katrina Frazier with Mobile police.

Frazier did not provide any further details on whether Brittany’s body was found or what evidence authorities had linking Hooper to Brittany’s death. She said the case “has remained an active part of our cold case investigations.”

Hooper is in an Oklahoma City jail on unrelated felony charges but will be extradited to Mobile to face the murder charges, said Frazier.

Before the indictment handed down against him, Hooper had been charged with interfering with child custody four months after his daughter’s disappearance. Prosecutors said he failed to return his daughter after his visitation was over.

Brittany was 14 years old when her mother, Tiana Hogue, told authorities her daughter hadn’t been seen since visiting her father on June 14, 2012.

Authorities kept a close eye on Hooper after the disappearance, eventually tracking him to a mental health facility in Arkansas, but did not locate the teen.

He initially pleaded not guilty to interfering with child custody. He changed his plea to guilty in August 2014 and a Mobile County Circuit Court Judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

According to law enforcement, Hogue allowed her then-14-year-old daughter to visit her father in June 2012. When Hooper did not return the girl, the mother called police. Hooper’s home was empty, according to officials.

Investigators managed to track down Hooper in Arkansas, where he had checked himself into a mental health facility. Authorities have said the defendant resisted arrest and required four law enforcement officers to physically restrain him before they could put him in the squad car There was no sign of Brittany.

According to law enforcement, Hooper traveled extensively throughout the Southeast since disappearing with the teenager.