PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than a year after the Hart family plunged to their deaths from a cliff along a California highway, a coroner’s inquest into their deaths is now scheduled.
The Harts and 5 of their children were found dead after the car plunged into the Pacific Ocean on March 26, 2018. Jennifer and Sarah, each 38, and their adopted children Markis, 19, Hannah, 16, Jeremiah and Abigail, 14 and 12-year-old Ciera died in the crash in the area of Juan Creek and North Highway 1 in Mendocino County, California.
The remains of their 6th child, 15-year-old Devonte, has not yet been found.
On Monday, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said their investigation into the case is complete.
The coroner’s inquest will present the facts of the case to a California jury to determine the manner of death for each person. The inquest is expected to last 2 days and will begin April 3, 2019.
The inquest will be livestreamed by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. KOIN 6 News will provide coverage of the inquest.
What is a coroner’s inquest
A coroner’s inquest is a public hearing, generally with a court reporter and 6 jurors. It is to determine the cause of death, not the why — just who died, how, when and where. A verdict is dependent on many factors, including the autopsy.
The case
The Hart family took off from their Woodland home and headed south in late March 2018. At first the crash seemed to be a horrific accident that took the lives of the 8 people inside.
Things quickly began not adding up to that scenario.
Jennifer and Sarah Hart, and their 6 adopted children, disappeared from their Woodland home in late March 2018 – shortly after a Washington Child Protective Services caseworker tried to contact the women at home. Neighbors had called CPS, concerned that the children were being abused and neglected.
Within weeks, authorities said Jennifer Hart — who was driving — was legally drunk at the time of the crash. Toxicology tests also found that her wife Sarah Hart and two of their adopted children had “a significant amount” of an ingredient commonly found in the allergy drug Benadryl, which can make people sleepy.
Photos: The Harts and the California cliff crash
As the investigation continued, details of previous family abuse allegations surfaced. New documents released in April 2018 showed Oregon Child Protective Services knew that the Hart family had been investigated for child abuse in Minnesota.
Despite this knowledge, DHS’s investigation into Jennifer and Sarah Hart – whose family car was found crashed off a northern California cliff in late March – was closed with investigators concluding that they were “unable to determine” whether there was abuse in the home, despite some indications of abuse or neglect.
By August, Clark County investigators said the entire case and investigation was “very frustrating.” Clark County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Brent Waddell said that investigators in his agency weren’t able to locate a suicide note, a message, or even any journal entries that spell out a clear intention.
In November, Clark County investigators released documents, including emails between Jennifer and Sarah, indicating marital trouble.
This coroner’s inquest in April will provide another piece to the ongoing puzzle of the Hart family crash.