Nancy Tramontin has released a statement with details about her family’s relationship with the woman arrested earlier this week after allegedly attacking her.
Tramontin, the wife of Charlottesville Delegate David Toscano, says she and her husband and son met Greene County teacher Claire Ogilvie in 2010, when Ogilvie and the Toscano family participated in a Semester at Sea voyage. David Toscano taught a sociology course on the months-long global study cruise, and Ogilvie was also aboard as a tutor—Tramontin describes her not as a paid SAS employee, but as a “lifelong learner” with the program, which is affiliated with UVA.
“The Toscanos and Ms. Ogilvie became friends over the course of the voyage, and after they returned Claire moved to Charlottesville early in 2011,” reads the statement, which was released Thursday by local PR firm Payne, Ross & Associates. Tramontin helped Ogilvie “settle in,” she says, and included her in family holidays and community events as a way to welcome her to the community. But at some point, the relationship changed.
“In 2012, Nancy became concerned that Ms. Ogilvie had developed an unsettling interest in the Toscano family,” the statement says. “The family reduced their contact, beginning in the early summer, and saw her for the last time in fall 2012.”
According to police, Ogilvie broke into the family’s home on Evergreen Avenue on Monday night and assaulted Tramontin, who was alone in the house. In a statement released Tuesday, Toscano said his wife received blows to the head but never lost consciousness. He arrived home from Richmond the same night and took Tramontin to Martha Jefferson Hospital, where she was treated for “non-life-threatening injuries” and later released, Toscano said.
Police later arrested Ogilvie at her Park Street apartment less than a mile away, charging her with breaking and entering, abduction, and malicious wounding. She is being held at the Charlottesville Albemarle Regional Jail after being denied bond. She has been suspended from her job as a teacher at Greene County’s William Monroe High School, according to school officials. Other information about Ogilvie—that she attended Yale, The George Washington School of Law, and the University of Virginia; that she worked as a patent attorney before teaching at The Peabody School; that she was a contestant on Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire? in college—have been gleaned from her online LinkedIn profile and classroom website.
Ogilvie’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 27.
The full text of the release is below.
Charlottesville, VA–February 27, 2014–Nancy Tramontin met Claire Ogilvie in the fall of 2010, when the Toscano family participated in a Semester at Sea voyage. Semester at Sea is a shipboard program for global study, operated by a nonprofit sponsored by the University of Virginia. Ms. Ogilvie was not an employee, but was a “lifelong learner” on the program. She befriended Nancy and David’s son, tutoring him during the voyage.
The Toscanos and Ms. Ogilvie became friends over the course of the voyage, and after they returned Claire moved to Charlottesville early in 2011. Nancy helped Ms. Ogilvie settle in, including her in family holidays, and community events and generally trying to welcome her to the community.
In 2012, Nancy became concerned that Ms. Ogilvie had developed an unsettling interest in the Toscano family. The family reduced their contact, beginning in the early summer, and saw her for the last time in fall 2012. Before the attack, Nancy and the Toscanos had not seen Ms. Ogilvie in over a year.
Nancy and the Toscano family are still reeling from this incident, and appreciate all the love and support that has been sent their way. Throughout this their number one priority has been their son. They ask for continued privacy during the ongoing investigation as they try to recover from the attack. This incident highlights the complexity and challenge of mental health issues, which affect our whole community and require a community response.