Athena Hogan

A Child's Life Cut Short in Lawton, Oklahoma

Nearly forty years after her murder, the case of Athena Marie "Tina" Hogan remains one of Lawton, Oklahoma's most heartbreaking unsolved crimes. Tina was just 10 years old when she disappeared while selling candy for a school fundraiser on October 1, 1986. Within hours, she was found murdered. Despite an arrest, a trial, and decades of investigation, no one has ever been held accountable for her death.

WHO WAS ATHENA "TINA" HOGAN

Athena Marie Hogan, known to friends and family as Tina, was a young girl living in Lawton, Oklahoma. Like many children her age, she was participating in a school fundraiser, going door to door selling candy bars in her neighborhood. What should have been an ordinary afternoon became one of the most tragic child murder cases in southwest Oklahoma history.

THE DAY TINA DISAPPEARED

On October 1, 1986, Tina left home to sell candy bars for a school fundraiser. According to reports, she was last seen alive in the Mission Village area of Lawton. When she failed to return home by approximately 7:30 p.m., her family became concerned. Relatives and neighbors began searching for her before ultimately contacting law enforcement.

The search lasted only a few hours.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. that same evening, Tina's body was discovered near Northwest 82nd Street and Rogers Lane on the outskirts of Lawton. Investigators determined she had been bound and gagged. Authorities reported that a cloth forced into her mouth caused her to suffocate. She was found partially clothed, indicating her killer had attempted to conceal evidence or stage the scene.

THE INVESTIGATION

Investigators quickly concluded that Tina was likely abducted from a different location and murdered elsewhere before her body was dumped near Rogers Lane. Witnesses reported seeing her in the Mission Village neighborhood shortly before her disappearance. Law enforcement believed she had been taken from that area.

The brutality of the crime shocked Lawton residents. A child had been abducted and murdered in broad daylight while participating in a school fundraiser, creating widespread fear throughout the community.

SUSPECTS & TRIAL

Over the years, investigators focused on multiple suspects.

One early suspect was the individual who discovered Tina's body. However, investigators later cleared him and moved in another direction. Authorities eventually arrested Harvey Templeton, the father of one of Tina's friends, and charged him with her murder. The case proceeded to trial, where prosecutors argued that Templeton was responsible for Tina's death.

However, the jury ultimately acquitted Templeton. As a result, no one has ever been convicted in connection with Tina's murder.

QUESTIONS THAT REMAIN

Several major questions continue to surround the case:

Who abducted Tina from her neighborhood?
Was the crime committed by a stranger or someone she knew?
Why was she targeted?
Did investigators focus on the correct suspect?
Could modern DNA technology reveal evidence that was unavailable in 1986?

Many records from the original investigation remain difficult to access, and some evidence has been the subject of debate among researchers who continue examining the case decades later.

WHY THE CASE STILL MATTERS

Tina's murder remains deeply personal to many residents of Lawton. Unlike many cold cases involving adults, this case involved a child engaged in a simple school activity. The circumstances make the crime particularly difficult to forget.

The case has also become an important example of how advances in forensic science may provide new opportunities to solve long unsolved crimes.

Advocates hope that preserved evidence could someday be reexamined using modern DNA testing techniques that were unavailable during the original investigation.

CURRENT STATUS

As of 2026, Athena "Tina" Hogan's murder remains unsolved. The Lawton Police Department continues to list the case as open, and investigators have never identified a person legally responsible for her death. Nearly four decades later, Tina's family, friends, and supporters continue to seek answers and justice.

For the people of Lawton, Tina is remembered not as a cold case statistic, but as a little girl who left home to sell candy bars for school and never came back. Until her killer is identified, one of Oklahoma's most tragic child homicide cases remains unresolved.

Anyone with information about the murder of Athena Marie "Tina" Hogan is encouraged to contact the Lawton Police Department.