Six children–Markis, 19; Hannah, 16; Devonte, 15; Jeremiah, 14; Abigail, 14; and Sierra, 12–were starved and abused by their adoptive parents, Jennifer and Sarah Hart. The children were homeschooled.
Siblings Markis, Hannah, and Abigail were adopted from Colorado County, Texas in September 2006. Siblings Devonte, Jeremiah, and Sierra were adopted from Harris County, Texas in February 2009. In November 2010, the Harts lived in Alexandria, Minnesota, where Abigail (then age 6) attended Woodland Elementary School. Abigail reported to a teacher that her mother Jennifer had hit her, deprived her of food, and shoved her face underwater. Abigail showed the teacher her bruises, and the teacher called the authorities. When the Harts were interviewed, Sarah Hart confessed to beating Abigail, saying she “let her anger get out of control.” Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, although the sentence was suspended. According to the investigating officer, the Harts “didn’t like the school or that the police intervened, and they certainly didn’t like the outcome.” Shortly after this incident, the Harts moved their family to West Linn, Oregon, and began homeschooling the children. Police were called to their home in July 2013 for a human services referral.
The Harts were active in liberal activist causes in their local community. In 2014, Devonte became famous for a viral photo taken of him hugging a police officer, and the Harts joined presidential candidate Bernie Sanders onstage during a 2016 rally in Vancouver. Around February 2017, uncomfortable with the media attention they had received, the family moved again to Woodland, Washington. One neighbor reported the children rarely left home and were not allowed to eat sugar. Another neighbor, Dana Dekalb, reported the children looked thin and small. According to Dekalb, one of the Hart girls had asked for help because she was afraid to go home. In another incident in mid-2017, Hannah showed up at Dekalb’s door in the middle of the night, asking Dekalb to take her away to Seattle and saying “Don’t make me go back” to her home. In March 2018, Devonte began to make regular visits to the Dekalbs’ home, asking every day for food because his parents were withholding food as punishment. He asked Dekalb not to tell his mom. Concerned, Dekalb called child services on March 23. Social workers visited the same day, but the Harts did not answer the door. Hours later, the family piled into their car and left home. On March 26, Jennifer Hart drove their car off a cliff in California, killing herself, Sarah, Markis, Jeremiah, and Abigail. The other children are believed to have been killed as well. The crash appears to have been intentional, although officials are still investigating.
Date: March 26, 2018
Location: Woodland, Washington
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