Search continuing
SUV plunge off cliff may have been intentional, police say
An SUV carrying a large family from Washington state accelerated straight off a scenic California cliff and authorities said the deadly wreck may have been intentional.
The wreck was discovered last week, days after child welfare authorities began investigating whether the children were being neglected.
Information pulled from the vehicle’s software shows it was stopped at a flat, dirt pull-off area before it sped off the steep rocky face and plunged 30 metres, said Capt. Greg Baarts of the California Highway Patrol.
Speaking at an evening news conference Sunday night, Baarts said the electronic information combined with the lack of skid marks or signs the driver braked led authorities to believe the crash was purposeful.
Five members of the Hart family were found dead. The search continued for three more children believed to have been in the vehicle when it went over a coastal overlook and landed on rocks in the Pacific Ocean below. The missing children may have been washed out to sea, authorities say.
“This specific location is very difficult to search because the ocean currents and tides are strong, it’s unpredictable, and the murkiness of the water makes it difficult to see,” said Capt. Greg Van Patten, a spokesman for the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Known as the Hart Tribe, the multiracial family of two married women — Sarah and Jennifer Hart — and six adopted children often took spontaneous road trips to camp and hike and travelled to festivals and other events, offering hugs and promoting unity.
Authorities don’t know exactly when the wreck took place. A passing motorist discovered the vehicle March 26, three days after social service authorities in Washington state opened an investigation apparently prompted by a neighbour’s complaint that the children were being deprived of food. Authorities believe at least one felony was committed but Van Patten declined to specify.
“To the best of my knowledge, there was not a suicide note found at the residence,” said Baarts, who added that authorities have been interviewing friends and family members of the Harts.
“There have been red flags,” he said, but did not elaborate.
Van Patten said he was not aware of any other evidence of abuse.
Well before the wreck, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty in 2011 to a domestic assault charge in Douglas County, Minn., telling authorities “she let her anger get out of control” while spanking her sixyear-old adopted daughter, court records show. The two women, both 38, were found dead inside the SUV, while three of their children — Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14 — were discovered outside the vehicle. Searchers were looking for Hannah Hart, 16; Sierra Hart, 12; and Devonte Hart, 15.