A horrific crash in Mendocino County, California brought authorities to a cliff’s edge in March 2018. What happened next was a chilling story of multiple abuse allegations that culminated in a murder-suicide and the death of eight people. Investigation Discovery’s “Broken Harts” is a two-part documentary series that explores why Jennifer and Sarah Hart drove their adopted children off a cliff. So if you’re wondering what happened, we’ve got you covered.
How did Jennifer and Sarah Hart kill their children?
Jennifer and Sarah Hart were from South Dakota and met in college while majoring in elementary education at Northern State University. The 38-year-old reportedly married in 2009 in Connecticut. By then, the couple had already adopted two sets of siblings. Their family included Abigail, Hannah, Markis, Sierra, Devonte, and Jeremiah, except for the two mothers. At the time of the incident, the eight of them lived near Woodland, Washington.
On March 26, 2018, authorities received a call about a car crash off a cliff in Mendocino County, leading to the discovery of the Harts’ SUV on the ocean floor. The bodies of Jennifer and Sarah were found in the vehicle and initially only the bodies of Abigail (14), Markis (19) and Jeremiah (14) were nearby. As the investigation continued, the remains of Sierra (12) and Hannah (16) were found in the same area. While Devonte’s remains were never found, he was presumed dead.
Why did Jennifer and Sarah Hart kill their children?
Authorities quickly learned that the crash was not an accident but an intentional fall from the cliff. It was confirmed that none of the passengers had fastened their seat belts at the time. Also, the car had come to a complete stop before accelerating into the rocks below. As for the toxicology reports, Jennifer was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident. It was also stated that Sarah and two of the three children initially discovered had diphenhydramine (an active ingredient in Benadryl) in their systems.
Initially, the family’s social media presence was that of a happy group that enjoyed life and traveled extensively. However, the reality was a stark contrast to this. As of September 2008, the family was living in Alexandria, Minnesota. It was then that Hannah, who was only 6 at the time, told police that Jennifer hit her with a belt. However, the parents claimed that the girl fell down a flight of stairs.
About two years later, in November 2010, one of Abigail’s teachers discovered that she had bruises on her chest and back. Then just six years old, Abigail said her parents were angry after they found a penny in her pocket. She claimed that Jennifer took her to the bathroom, put her head in cold water and then hit her. There was also mention of regular punishments for his siblings. Sarah took responsibility for beating Abigail and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault in April 2011, receiving probation. Soon after, the children were taken out of school.
Further abuse allegations arose when the family moved to Oregon in 2013. Two women who knew the family said the children had to raise their hands before speaking and were not allowed to laugh during dinner . In another incident, a woman said that when Jennifer and the children stayed with her, they ordered pizza. But Jennifer only left them small pieces. The next day, when the pizza was found being eaten, she was furious, punishing the children by making them lie on the bed for five hours. Authorities ultimately felt there wasn’t enough to be considered negligence, and the charges came to nothing.
In 2017, the Harts moved to Woodland, Washington. This time their neighbors – Bruce and Dana DeKalb – had some weird stories which they shared afterwards. According to them, sometime during the summer of that year, Hannah showed up on their doorstep in the middle of the night, saying her parents were abusing her. However, Jennifer explained it by saying that Hannah was going through a rough time and was a drugged up baby. The next day, the DeKalbs even received an apology note signed by Hannah.
Starting March 15, 2018, just days before the crash, the DeKalbs said Devonte showed up asking for food, claiming their parents punished them by withholding their meals. Devonte coming to the DeKalbs continued for several days until they called Child Protective Services on March 23, with a CPS worker coming the same day. However, the worker was unable to make contact and the family left the next day. Shortly after, the accident happened in California.
A coroner’s inquest held in April 2019 provided more evidence of Sarah’s involvement in the deaths; she searched the internet for things like “death from hypothermia, how much of the antihistamine Benadryl it would take to cause an overdose or death, and how painful it would be to drown.” Ultimately, why Jennifer and Sarah decided to kick their kids off a cliff remained a mystery. It appears the CPS contact fueled the sudden exit from their home in Woodland, and it ended tragically, with eight dead. Authorities ultimately ruled the manner of death of the six children was homicide while Jennifer and Sarah died by suicide.
Read more: Has Devonte Hart ever been found? Is he still alive?
