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Hart family murders

Coordinates:39°42′08″N123°48′14″W/ 39.7023005°N 123.803873°W/39.7023005; -123.803873
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For the 2016 incident in England, see2016 Spalding shooting.

Hart family murders
Ciera, Sarah, Hannah, Markis, Abigail, Devonte, Jennifer and Jeremiah Hart
LocationMendocino County,California,U.S.
DateMarch 26, 2018;6 years ago(2018-03-26)
Attack type
Familicide,murder–suicide
Deaths8 (including both perpetrators)
Victims6 adopted children
PerpetratorsJennifer and Sarah Hart 39°42′08″N123°48′14″W/ 39.7023005°N 123.803873°W/39.7023005; -123.803873

TheHart family murderswas amurder–suicidewhich took place on March 26, 2018, inMendocino County,California,United States. Jennifer Hart (37) and her wife, Sarah Hart (38), murdered themselves and their sixadoptedchildren: Ciera (12), Abigail (14), Jeremiah (14), Devonte (15), Hannah (16), and Markis (19). The murders happened when Jennifer intentionally drove the family'ssports utility vehicleoff a cliff.[1][2]Jennifer was in the driver's seat, and Sarah was in the front passenger seat.

Background

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Jennifer Jean Hart (June 4, 1979 – March 26, 2018)[3]and Sarah Margaret Hart (April 8, 1979 – March 26, 2018,[3]néeGengler) were both fromSouth Dakota;Jennifer originated fromHuron,Sarah fromBig Stone City,although some sources claimOrtonville,Minnesota– adjacent to Big Stone City – as Sarah's hometown.[4][5][6]Both women were the eldest children of their families. Jennifer had two siblings and Sarah had three siblings.[7]According to her father, Jennifer was not initially raised as aLutheranbut was baptized as one.[5]

Jennifer attendedHuron High School.[5]Sarah attended Ortonville High School in Minnesota.[8]The two women attended and began their relationship atNorthern State University(NSU);[9]Sarah had initially attended theUniversity of Minnesotafor one semester before transferring to NSU,[8]while Jennifer started atAugustana Universitybefore transferring in 1999.[5]Both women majored in elementary education,[8]with Sarah focusing onspecial education.After Sarah graduated in 2002, Jennifer left the university without graduating.[9][5]In 2005, Sarah asked a local court to have her last name altered to match her partner's.[10]The couple went toConnecticutto be married in 2009; at the timesame-sex marriagewas not legal in every U.S. state.[11]

OnFacebook,Jennifer stated that the women were initiallyclosetedwhen they lived in South Dakota, and that when they decided tocome outthey lost friends.[9]They moved toAlexandria, Minnesota,in 2004,[12]where both women worked at aHerberger'sstore. In the new location, they made a choice to be open about their relationship.[13]Jennifer worked miscellaneous jobs until she became astay-at-home momin 2006, while Sarah became a manager at Herberger's.[12]After a period of living inWest Linn,Oregon,[14]the Harts moved to anunincorporated areanearWoodland,Washington;[15]Sarah became a manager at aKohl'sinHazel Dell.[16]The couple were living near Woodland at the time of the murders.[14]

The Harts received funds from the state ofTexas,covering their sixadoptedchildren, which accounted for almost 50% of the family's income.[16][17]Members of Jennifer's and Sarah's families stated that the two women distanced themselves from them, although both families were accepting of their sexual orientation.[18]Jenniferestrangedherself from her father after 2001.[5]State government reports stated that the couple cut off contact with their relatives because of criticism about their parenting.[19]

Adoption

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Prior to adopting their six children, the Harts werefoster parentsto a 15-year-old girl.[20]A week before their first three children were due to arrive, the Harts dropped the girl off at a scheduled therapist appointment. The therapist then informed the girl that the Harts would not be coming back for her.[20]

Abigail (born 2003), Hannah Jean (born 2002),[21]and Markis Hart (born 1998) were adopted by the Harts fromColorado County, Texas;[22]the placement came on March 4, 2006, and they were adopted that September.[11][10]In June 2008, they adopted three additional children: Ciera Maija (born 2005),[23]Devonte Jordan (born 2002),[24]and Jeremiah Hart (born 2004), originating fromHouston.[11][19]After their biological mother, Sherry Davis,[25]lost custody due to substance abuse problems in August 2006,[19]the Davis children were given to their paternal aunt, Priscilla Celestine, under the condition that they have no contact with their biological mother.[25]However, after she was required to work another shift, Celestine allowed Davis to babysit the children, which a case worker observed.[26]As a result, the children were removed from Celestine's care and a court prevented Celestine from obtaining permanent custody.[10]The Davis children were put into foster care; their older brother, Dontay, was not adopted by the Harts due to behavioral issues.[27]Ciera was sometimes referred to as "Sierra".[28]

Prior to the murders, 12-year-old Devonte came into the national spotlight when he was photographed crying as he embraced a police officer during a 2014 protest inPortland, Oregon,resulting from theFerguson unrest.[29]The image became known as the "hug felt 'round the world."[30]Jennifer was very active onsocial mediaand used Facebook to project an image of a loving, happy family while also sharing her thoughts on race, politics, and trips the family went on. This helped mask some of the problems within the family. One allegation ofchild abusefrom 2013 touched upon Jennifer's use of Facebook, saying that "the kids pose and are made to look like one big happy family, but after the photo event, they go back to looking lifeless."[31]

Abuse

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Minnesota

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In 2008, while the family was living in Minnesota, a teacher observed bruises on Hannah's left arm and was told she had been hit by Jenniferwith a belt.Within months, all six children had been pulled out of the public school system for a year.[31]In 2010, Abigail said that she had "owies" on her back and stomach and stated that she felt threatened by the Harts, who had beaten her and held her head in cold water over a penny they assumed had been stolen. When authorities became involved, all children claimed that they had been spanked constantly and deprived of food. Sarah took responsibility for the abuse, pled guilty toassaultand was sentenced tocommunity servicefor a year.[31]One year later, Hannah reportedly told a school nurse that she had not eaten all day; Sarah claimed that Hannah was merely "playing the food card" and recommended that she just be given water. Soon afterward, all six children were taken out of public schools and werehomeschooledfrom then on.[32]

Oregon

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In 2013, Oregon authorities were notified of the abuse allegations in Minnesota. Their investigation included separate interviews of everyone in the family, as well as interviews of people who knew the family. Two family friends stated that the children were forced to raise their hands before speaking, could not wish each other a happy birthday, and could not laugh at the dinner table. There were other reports that the children were poorly fed and looked small for their ages. One family friend reported that Jennifer had ordered a pizza for the children, but each was only allowed to have a small slice. When Jennifer discovered that the pizza was gone, she punished the children by not feeding them breakfast and forcing them to lie on their bed for five hours.[32]Friends also stated that the children acted "scared to death of Jen" and likened them to "trained robots".[32][31]

However, the interviews of the children themselves revealed no new incidents of abuse, nor did they mention anything that had happened in Minnesota. When Jennifer herself was interviewed, she claimed that any family problems were the results of others not being tolerant to two lesbian mothers with six African-American children. In the end, the investigation could not conclude whether the Harts were guilty of anything or whether there was a "safety threat".[32]

Washington

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In August 2017,[33]after the Harts had since moved to the Woodland, Washington area, Hannah jumped out of her second-story bedroom window at around 1:30 a.m. and approached the residence of her next-door neighbors, the DeKalbs. Hannah reportedly pleaded, "Don't make me go back! They're racists and they abuse us!" Soon afterwards, the Harts found Hannah and took her back home. The following day, Jennifer attempted to explain the incident by claiming that Hannah was lying, that the children occasionally acted out because they were "drug babies", and that Hannah's biological mother wasbipolar.[31]

After this incident, the DeKalb family came into contact with Devonte, who constantly begged for food and asked the DeKalbs not to tell Jennifer about these requests. In later conversations with Devonte, he told them that his adoptive mothers withheld food as punishment and that the children were sometimes abused. This, combined with the earlier incident with Hannah, made the DeKalbs report the Harts to both the police and to theWashington State Department of Social and Health Services(DSHS). Case workers from DSHS tried to reach the Harts twice: once on March 23, 2018—three days before the murders—and once on the day of the murders.[31][32]

Murders

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On March 26, 2018, Jennifer and Sarah Hart murdered all six of the children when Jennifer drove their vehicle, aGMC Yukon XL,[13]over a 100-foot (30 m) cliff onCalifornia State Route 1,inMendocino County,California,nearWestport.[34][11]The bodies of five of the children (Hannah, Markis, Jeremiah, Abigail, and Ciera) were found in or near the vehicle, which had landed upside down on a beach below the cliff. The body of Devonte has not been found as of 2024.[11][35]A superior court judge ruled in 2019 that Devonte was in the vehicle at the time of the crash, and adeath certificatewas signed onApril 3of that year.[36]

Expert analysis of the SUV's internal air bag-deploying computer determined that the Yukon had been intentionally driven off the edge of the cliff from a standing stop, accelerating to 20 mph (32 km/h) in 3 seconds with the throttle at 100%.[37]A fourteen-membercoroner's juryunanimously ruled the case amurder–suicide.[35][34][38]Theinquestwas called to determine cause of death, but not any responsibility in the civil or criminal fields.[39]TheCalifornia Highway Patrolstated that criminal prosecution was not possible due to the deaths of any responsible parties.[40]

Toxicology results showed that Jennifer'sblood alcohol contentwas over the legal limit at the time of the crash,[11][35]and that both Sarah and two of the children haddiphenhydraminein their systems.[35]Sarah had madeGoogle searchesbefore the crash, inquiring about the lethality ofBenadryland the nature of death by drowning.[34]Her searches also included "No-kill sheltersfor dogs "; the family's two dogs were found inside the Hart family home.[41]The Mendocino County Sheriff's Department officially closed the case and released declassified records in 2019.[42]

According to an incident report following the murders, it was reported that Sarah told a co-worker "[that] she wish[ed] someone told her it was okay not to have a big family. Then she and Jennifer would not have adopted the children."[43]

[edit]

An episode of the television seriesAtlantawas inspired by the Hart case.[44]The episode, called "Three Slaps,"had Loquareeous, a character inspired by Devonte.[45]

In the 2024 novella collectionAmerican Spirits,authorRussell Banksincluded the story "Homeschooling," which fictionalizes the Hart family murders.[46]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Levenson, Eric (April 5, 2018)."Authorities now believe all 6 Hart children were in the SUV at the time of the fatal cliffside crash".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  2. ^"Hart family crash: Investigators reveal details from search of home after family SUV plunged off cliff".CBS.August 25, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  3. ^abKGW News."2013 LEA-Report Redacted".Scribd.Archivedfrom the original on March 27, 2021.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
  4. ^Walsh, Paul (April 25, 2018)."Years of abuse allegations gathered on Oregon parents who drove over ocean cliff with kids".Minneapolis Star Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.[...]and Sarah Gengler, from Ortonville, Minn.
  5. ^abcdefYoung, Molly (April 2018)."Devonte Hart's mother: tracing her life from the Midwest to her drive off the California cliff".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.Huron has one high school, which Jennifer Hart attended,[...]
  6. ^Callahan, Mary; Morris, J. D. (March 29, 2018)."Ex-neighbor describes 'surreal' contact with family feared dead in Mendocino Coast crash".Press Democrat.Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 4,2020.
  7. ^"Broken Harts,Episode 2: Full Transcript ".Glamour.December 11, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2021.RetrievedMay 30,2021.–View atArchivedMay 30, 2021, at theWayback MachineYahoo! Finance
  8. ^abcBush, Evan; Shapiro, Nina (April 8, 2018)."Who were the Harts, really? Mystery surrounds family that plunged off California cliff".Seattle Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2020.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.
  9. ^abcSmiley, Lauren (September 6, 2018)."Two White Moms. Six Black Kids. One Unthinkable Tragedy. A Look Inside the 'Perfect' Hart Family".Glamour.
  10. ^abc"Hart family deadly crash: a timeline".The Oregonian.March 29, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.
  11. ^abcdefStevens, Matt (January 17, 2019)."Before Harts Plunged Off a Cliff, Strain Dogged Family".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on January 26, 2021.
  12. ^abHeim, Joe; Tate, Julie (July 12, 2018)."Abuse, neglect and a system that failed: The tragic lives of the Hart children".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on January 2, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 1,2020.
  13. ^ab"Broken HartsPodcast, Episode 1: Full Transcript ".Glamour.December 4, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2021.RetrievedMay 30,2021.
  14. ^abBush, Evan; Shapiro, Nina (April 8, 2018)."Who were the Harts, really? Mystery surrounds family that plunged off California cliff".The Seattle Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  15. ^"Affidavit for Search Warrant"(PDF).State of Oregon. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on May 7, 2022.RetrievedJune 18,2020.– The whole address in the document shows that the house is not in the Woodland city limits; even though it has a "Woodland, WA" postal address, it is not in the Woodland city limits. This document is on the website of thePortland Tribune
  16. ^abBailey, Everton Jr.; Young, Molly (September 1, 2018)."Inside the Hart family home, police search reveals debts, contradictions".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 3,2020.
  17. ^Ryan, Jim (April 18, 2018)."Texas likely paid Hart moms $270k to care for adopted kids, report says".The Statesman Journal.The Oregonian.RetrievedJanuary 1,2020.
  18. ^"Broken Harts,Episode 8: 'There Were Good Times'".Glamour.January 29, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2021.RetrievedMay 30,2021.
  19. ^abcCallan, Will (November 2018)."Telling Lies: How a Decade of Deception Led to the Hart Family's Tragic End on the Mendocino Coast".Sonoma Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.
  20. ^abShapiro, Nina (April 12, 2018)."Story of Harts' foster child is one of heartbreak, though not the way some might expect".The Seattle Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedJune 18,2019.
  21. ^"Hannah Jean Hart".Federal Bureau of Investigation.March 26, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon April 22, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 4,2020.
  22. ^Levenson, Eric (April 6, 2018)."Authorities now believe all 6 Hart children were in the SUV at the time of the fatal cliffside crash".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2019.RetrievedDecember 30,2019.
  23. ^Jennings, Angel (April 17, 2018)."One of three missing Hart children is found dead after plunge off cliff".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedJanuary 4,2020.
  24. ^"Devonte Jordan Hart".FBI.March 26, 2018. Archived fromthe originalon April 22, 2018.RetrievedDecember 26,2020.
  25. ^abAsgarian, Roxana (January 30, 2019)."Devonte Hart's biological mom: They gave my kids 'to monsters'".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on November 22, 2018.RetrievedMay 30,2021.
  26. ^Asgarian, Roxana; Shane Dixon Kavanaugh (April 12, 2018)."Devonte Hart family crash: 'It's just devastating,' says aunt who fought for custody".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on November 3, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  27. ^Asgarian, Roxana (December 11, 2019)."His siblings were killed by their adoptive mother. He was left in foster care to suffer a more common fate".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2021.RetrievedMay 30,2021.– Alternate version at theSeattle Times:"His siblings were killed when the Hart family’s van went off a cliff. He had been left in foster care.ArchivedJune 3, 2021, at theWayback Machine"Alternate title #2:" How the foster care-to-prison pipeline trapped the Hart children's biological brother "
  28. ^"Sierra Hart confirmed dead in California crash, authorities say".The Oregonian.April 17, 2018.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2024.RetrievedApril 5,2024.
  29. ^Kavanaugh, Shane Dixon (March 28, 2018)."Child in viral Portland police hug photo missing, 5 family members dead after California cliff crash".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2020.RetrievedMay 18,2019.
  30. ^Espinoza, Joshua (March 29, 2019)."Body of Devonte Hart, Kid Who Hugged Cop in Viral Protest Pic, Still Missing 1 Year Later".Complex.
  31. ^abcdef"Edge Of The Cliff: How An American Dream Turned Into A Nightmare For A Model Family".Investigation Discovery.RetrievedJanuary 2,2020.
  32. ^abcdeStevens, Matt (April 27, 2018)."Hart Family, Before Driving Off Cliff, Hid Dark Home Life From View".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on January 4, 2020.RetrievedNovember 16,2019.
  33. ^Stevens, Matt (January 17, 2018)."Before Harts Plunged Off a Cliff, Strain Dogged Family".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  34. ^abcHolcombe, Madeline; Martin, Augie (April 6, 2019)."Jennifer Hart drove her six children to their deaths as her wife looked up how much they would suffer, a jury says".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on December 31, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 1,2020.
  35. ^abcd"Family cliff plunge case in California ruled murder-suicide".BBC.April 5, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on April 18, 2019.RetrievedMay 10,2019.
  36. ^Sokmensuer, Harriet (March 26, 2019)."Where is Devonte Hart? Boy in Viral Photo Was in Fatal Cliff Crash, But Body Remains Missing".People.Archivedfrom the original on December 14, 2020.RetrievedDecember 26,2020.
  37. ^Young, Molly (April 4, 2019)."Hart family inquest: Information from SUV's 'black box' reveals new details about its fatal last trip".The Oregonian.Archivedfrom the original on June 19, 2020.RetrievedJune 18,2020.
  38. ^Callahan, Mary (April 4, 2019)."Jury finds Hart family crash on Mendocino Coast was murder-suicide".The Press Democrat.Archivedfrom the original on April 22, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 1,2020.
  39. ^Dumont, Tyler (April 3, 2019)."California coroner: Devonte Hart, teen previously reported missing after SUV crash, is dead".KPTV.Archivedfrom the original on January 22, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 1,2020.
  40. ^Smiley, Lauren (September 6, 2018)."Two White Moms. Six Black Kids. One Unthinkable Tragedy. A Look Inside the 'Perfect' Hart Family".Glamour.Archivedfrom the original on December 9, 2020.RetrievedDecember 26,2020.
  41. ^Levenson, Eric (April 5, 2018)."Authorities now believe all 6 Hart children were in the SUV at the time of the fatal cliffside crash".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  42. ^"Mendocino County Sheriff's Office releases Hart Family public records".The Willits News.April 11, 2019.Archivedfrom the original on May 27, 2021.RetrievedMay 27,2021.
  43. ^Sokmensuer, Harriet (September 19, 2018)."Before Wife Drove Her and Their Kids off a Cliff, Mom Expressed Regret Over Adopted Family".People.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2019.RetrievedMay 9,2019.
  44. ^Desta, Yohana (March 25, 2022)."Atlanta:The Tragic Real Story That Inspired Season Three's Opening Episode ".Vanity Fair.Archivedfrom the original on April 15, 2023.RetrievedApril 5,2024.
  45. ^Garcia, Ariana (March 28, 2022)."'Atlanta' season 3 opens with chilling reference to the tragedy of Houston's Devonte Hart ".Houston Chronicle.Houston.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2024.RetrievedMarch 5,2024.
  46. ^Casey, Cep (April 17, 2024)."Trump's America, Seen Through the Eyes of Russell Banks".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2024.RetrievedJune 20,2024.In the book's second and best story, 'Homeschooling,' Banks uses a moblike first-person plural, 'We in town,' to tell the story of the Webers, avatars for the real-life Jennifer and Sarah Hart, who murdered their six adopted children, in 2018, by driving the family's Yukon off a hundred-foot cliff in Mendocino County, California.

Further reading

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  • Asgarian, Roxanna (2023).We Were Once a Family: A Story of Love, Death, and Child Removal in America.New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.ISBN978-0374602291.
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