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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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[dramatic music playing]
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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[911 operator speaking]
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[man speaking]
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[911 operator speaking]
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[man speaking]
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[dramatic music playing]
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[woman] I have reported
a vehicle accident
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near Juan Creek on Highway 1.
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[woman] What caused a family
to drive over a cliff
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to their death?
That's the question
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multiple agencies
are investigating.
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[woman] Jen and Sarah really
were the kind of parents
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that I think the world
desperately needs.
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[woman] I honestly don't know
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at what point it turned,
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there were no red flags at all.
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[woman] You never can reconcile
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this picture-perfect family
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with these incredible details
on the other side.
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[man] I knew that
this couldn't be
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the first moment of tragedy.
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This couldn't be
the first moment
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of violence.
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I was trying to help them
and protect them
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and this is the result.
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[woman] How can they be so close
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to something so awful
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and not even know?
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[dramatic music playing]
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[waves crashing]
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[Sheriff Tom] March 26th, 2018,
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I heard a report on the radio.
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They dispatched the deputy
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to the northern part
of Highway 1
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to perform coroner duties
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at a multiple fatality
traffic accident.
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I knew exactly where it was
because I've been there
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so many times.
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It's a big dirt turn out...
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with a 75, maybe 80-foot
drop off...
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no guardrails whatsoever,
no protection.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[helicopter blades whirring]
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[Sheriff Tom]
When I pulled up the scene...
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fire engines there,
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ambulance was standing by,
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highway patrol helicopter.
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I saw one of our deputies
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and I went to him and said,
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"You know, what do we have?"
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And he said, "We have
a car that went over."
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[waves crashing]
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[Sheriff Tom] I walked
to the edge of the bluff.
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[camera shutter clicks]
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[Sheriff Tom] And I saw
a crumpled SUV.
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The waves were coming in
and going out,
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and you saw this car
rocking back and forth.
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This was not a normal
traffic accident
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from the very onset.
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And it continued to be
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anything other than normal.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Cynthia] So that morning,
I get into work.
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I was told that they had located
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two female adults
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within the passenger compartment
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of the vehicle,
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and they had located
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two male juveniles,
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and a female juvenile outside
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on the rocks.
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[It. Shannon] Some
of the fire crew as they're
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examining the scene
on the beach locate
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a Minnesota State
driver's license
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in the name of Sarah Hart.
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We did some Google research
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and located a photo
of the Hart Family
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and a story that had gone viral.
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Yeah, someone around here
said today
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what the world needs now
might just be
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what we see in this photo.
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[Cynthia] I was Googling
Hart Family,
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Devonte Hart,
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the first picture
that popped up is Devonte
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hugging the Portland
police officer.
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[news reporter] Born
to a drug-addictive mother
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and into a violent life,
he and his two siblings
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were adopted
into a loving family
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and Devonte was at that rally
with a message of peace
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and holding a sign
offering free hugs.
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[Cynthia] And then, when you
start really bringing up
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Hart Family, we get,
you know, a lot of pictures
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of smiling and laughing,
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and videos of them singing.
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The moms looked happy
and loving.
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And there's beautiful
six children
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that looked like
they were having a time
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of their life.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Irene] Before I actually met
the Harts,
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I heard about these kids
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that would come
to these festivals
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that I attended.
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People mentioning like,
"Oh, you know,
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the Hart kids,
they give free hugs."
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[indistinct chatter]
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[Irene] I heard, oh,
these two brave
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lesbian women
went against all odds
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and adopted numerous children
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and are giving them
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this unprecedented life really,
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that no child
is so lucky to have.
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These kids were just pure joy.
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All they could do is just smile
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from ear to ear.
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They were always like,
propped up
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on people's shoulders,
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dancing in the crowd.
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And memories of that
are so sweet.
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They were a unit.
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[Drew] It wasn't difficult
to just...
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really enjoy
getting to know Jen.
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She had a great sense of humor
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and she was just so social
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and frankly just fun to talk to.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Niema] Sarah was,
from what I could tell
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like very reserved, very quiet.
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She seemed sweet but...
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not really conversational.
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Jen was a little bit more
of the like outgoing
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and connecting with people on.
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Jen and I did become
Facebook friends.
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She was pretty active
in posting and I would see
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pretty regular posts of them,
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you know, the six of them.
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They always seem kind of calm
and happy like even serene.
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Jen's photos
were incredibly beautiful.
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They could've been
in a magazine,
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the way they were framed
and how the kids...
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Like the colors
the kids were wearing
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and whatever exposure
or lighting she was using.
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And they would be having like,
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really the foster kid's dream.
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[Drew] Jen seemed to be leading
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the most exceptional life.
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This supermom,
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this champion
of racial reconciliation,
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willing to sacrifice herself
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for the greater good
of these beautiful children,
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we all felt like
we were along for the ride.
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[tense music playing]
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[Sheriff Tom]
To know that we had
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possibly six children...
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[waves crashing]
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[Sheriff Tom] ...two adults,
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I don't think I know
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it was on everybody's mind of...
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this is what we're dealing with.
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[It. Shannon] By mid-morning,
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we had one person
positively identified
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that being Sarah Hart.
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We suspected
the other adult female
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was Jennifer Hart,
her married partner.
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And two deceased children.
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And one that was believed
to be a child
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but was late teens,
so we weren't really sure.
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[Cynthia]
We were pretty positive
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we had this family,
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but we only have three kids.
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So we're missing three children.
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[Sheriff Tom]
We had a vehicle out of state
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with possibly eight fatalities.
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We knew that these two mothers
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had adopted these kids
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and they were from, I believe,
it was Woodland, Washington.
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So we had lots of questions.
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What's between Mendocino County
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and Woodland, Washington?
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How long would it take 'em
to get here?
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Why did this happen?
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[tense music playing]
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[Cheryl] My name is Cheryl
and I knew Sarah Hart.
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We worked together
at Kohl's Department Store.
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She was the assistant
store manager.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Cheryl] Saturday, March 24th,
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I had gone into the store
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and when I came in I realized
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that it was a different manager
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when it was supposed
to be Sarah.
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And so I, kind of,
looked at her and was like,
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"What are you doing here?"
And she said that,
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Sarah had sent a text message
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at like 3:00 in the morning
that she was sick.
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"I possibly needed
to go to the hospital."
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We both just thought
it was kind of weird
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because she had just worked
the day before
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and she seemed totally fine.
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But on Sunday evening,
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they still hadn't heard
from her.
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She was a dependable person.
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If she said
she was gonna be there,
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she was gonna be there.
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I sent a text message
and told her,
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"Can you let us know
what's going on?
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You're kind of freaking
everybody out."
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But there was nothing.
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Just radio silence.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Cheryl]
Everybody came in Monday
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and we kind of kept waiting
to see
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if Sarah was gonna come in.
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And, you know, we gave her
till about 9:30, 10:00,
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and she still hadn't showed.
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I decided to call 911.
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[tense music playing]
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[911 operator speaking]
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[Cheryl speaking]
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[911 operator speaking]
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[Cheryl speaking]
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[911 operator speaking]
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[Cheryl speaking]
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[911 operator speaking]
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[Cheryl speaking]
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[dramatic music playing]
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And about 10 minutes later...
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[cell phone vibrating]
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[Cheryl] My phone rang,
and it was an officer,
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and I explained
the situation to him,
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and he says, "Well,
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how many children
does she have?"
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And I said she has six.
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He asked if I knew
anything about her
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not feeding her children?
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And that kind of threw me
for a loop
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and I said I don't...
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I don't know
anything about that.
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We just needed somebody
to go out to her house
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and make sure she's okay.
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And he said that
he didn't need to go up there
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because he had already
been up there once that day
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because of a call from DSHS,
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the Department of Health
and Social Services.
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And he said that
they have packed their stuff
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and split.
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And he says that it appears
that they're on the run.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Det. Adam] On March 27th, 2018,
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Mendocino County reached out
to Clark County for assistance
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to do a welfare check
at the Hart Family residence.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[It. Shannon]
We had, at that point
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eight known family members.
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Five established and recovered
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in the County of Mendocino
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but I don't know where
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these other three children
might be.
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[Det. Adam]
Upon getting that call,
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the Sheriff's Office
was able to look back
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00:13:01,413 --> 00:13:03,248
and see that the day
prior on the 26th
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there had been
two welfare check requests
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at the same house.
266
00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:09,888
One from a coworker of Sarah's
267
00:13:09,989 --> 00:13:12,123
concerned that
she had missed work
268
00:13:12,224 --> 00:13:14,993
and also a call
from a CPS worker
269
00:13:15,094 --> 00:13:17,929
who had made previous attempts
to go out
270
00:13:18,030 --> 00:13:19,230
and contact the family.
271
00:13:19,331 --> 00:13:20,565
[dramatic music playing]
272
00:13:20,666 --> 00:13:22,066
[911 operator speaking]
273
00:13:22,168 --> 00:13:25,170
[CPS speaking]
274
00:13:31,177 --> 00:13:33,211
[911 operator speaking]
275
00:13:33,312 --> 00:13:36,614
[CPS speaking]
276
00:13:36,715 --> 00:13:38,783
[911 operator speaking]
277
00:13:38,884 --> 00:13:39,984
[CPS speaking]
278
00:13:41,487 --> 00:13:42,987
[It. Shannon]
I talked to a deputy
279
00:13:43,088 --> 00:13:45,924
and he went out
with one of his sergeants.
280
00:13:46,025 --> 00:13:47,659
They were able to make entry,
281
00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:49,561
but...
282
00:13:49,662 --> 00:13:50,795
there was no sign of trouble,
283
00:13:50,896 --> 00:13:52,764
nothing out of place.
284
00:13:52,865 --> 00:13:54,766
They basically said
the house was neat
285
00:13:54,867 --> 00:13:57,302
and in good order.
286
00:13:57,403 --> 00:13:59,604
[Det. Adam] There was food
out on the table.
287
00:13:59,705 --> 00:14:01,673
Food in the fridge.
288
00:14:01,774 --> 00:14:03,842
It all seemed open
and accessible to anybody
289
00:14:03,943 --> 00:14:07,045
who would've wanted it.
290
00:14:07,146 --> 00:14:08,980
We did know that the CPS worker
291
00:14:09,081 --> 00:14:11,950
had left a card
a few days earlier,
292
00:14:12,051 --> 00:14:14,219
and so, it was unknown
if they were fleeing
293
00:14:14,320 --> 00:14:15,553
that investigation
294
00:14:15,654 --> 00:14:16,955
if they was at a short trip
295
00:14:17,056 --> 00:14:19,691
or if they were leaving
for good,
296
00:14:19,792 --> 00:14:21,292
we just didn't know.
297
00:14:25,064 --> 00:14:28,766
There are a lot of families
that have CPS involvement.
298
00:14:28,868 --> 00:14:32,804
It doesn't always amount
to neglect, abuse,
299
00:14:32,905 --> 00:14:34,772
or any kind of criminal case
300
00:14:34,874 --> 00:14:37,976
but I talked
to Child Protective Service
301
00:14:38,077 --> 00:14:40,678
and we started to learn
a little bit more
302
00:14:40,779 --> 00:14:43,514
about the Hart background
303
00:14:43,616 --> 00:14:46,050
and it also involved additional
304
00:14:46,151 --> 00:14:48,720
allegations of abuse
in other areas
305
00:14:48,821 --> 00:14:51,522
that they had lived in.
306
00:14:51,624 --> 00:14:53,892
And over the next several days,
307
00:14:53,993 --> 00:14:57,328
we had started looking at
those kind of things as well.
308
00:15:01,133 --> 00:15:04,135
[dramatic music playing]
309
00:15:07,773 --> 00:15:10,341
[It. Shannon] We were able
to track several relatives
310
00:15:10,442 --> 00:15:13,244
down to the South Dakota area.
311
00:15:13,345 --> 00:15:15,380
[all] Happy birthday to you.
312
00:15:15,481 --> 00:15:17,348
[Cynthia]
Jen's aunt relate to us
313
00:15:17,449 --> 00:15:19,550
that she had seen the children
314
00:15:19,652 --> 00:15:21,686
within the last couple of years
315
00:15:21,787 --> 00:15:25,924
and had the most contact
with the children family-wise.
316
00:15:26,025 --> 00:15:28,192
We ultimately
were able to send her
317
00:15:28,294 --> 00:15:30,962
some photos via email
318
00:15:31,063 --> 00:15:33,197
and she was able
to positively identify
319
00:15:33,299 --> 00:15:36,534
who we had in our possession
at that point.
320
00:15:39,605 --> 00:15:40,939
Markis was the easiest.
321
00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:44,108
He had a very distinct jawline.
322
00:15:44,209 --> 00:15:48,746
And you could see that
in all of his photos.
323
00:15:48,847 --> 00:15:51,749
When we were looking
at Jeremiah and Devonte,
324
00:15:51,850 --> 00:15:54,886
their faces
were very, very similar.
325
00:15:54,987 --> 00:15:58,222
And the aunt informed us
of a mole
326
00:15:58,324 --> 00:15:59,958
that Jeremiah had
327
00:16:00,059 --> 00:16:04,629
and we made the identification
of it being Jeremiah.
328
00:16:04,730 --> 00:16:06,497
When we got to the female,
329
00:16:06,598 --> 00:16:09,867
we were wavering between
Hannah and Abigail.
330
00:16:09,935 --> 00:16:12,070
The aunt gave us information
331
00:16:12,171 --> 00:16:15,473
of Hannah missing
two front teeth.
332
00:16:15,574 --> 00:16:19,410
We were able to positively
identify
333
00:16:19,511 --> 00:16:21,512
Jennifer,
334
00:16:21,613 --> 00:16:23,614
Sarah,
335
00:16:23,716 --> 00:16:25,416
Jeremiah,
336
00:16:25,517 --> 00:16:27,318
Markis,
337
00:16:27,419 --> 00:16:28,953
and Abigail
338
00:16:29,054 --> 00:16:31,756
as the deceased folks
that we had.
339
00:16:33,559 --> 00:16:36,160
[ominous music playing]
340
00:16:36,261 --> 00:16:37,462
[Sheriff Tom]
I'm Sheriff Tom Allman,
341
00:16:37,563 --> 00:16:39,130
Mendocino County Sheriff.
342
00:16:39,231 --> 00:16:40,865
Certainly, this is a tragic day
343
00:16:40,966 --> 00:16:43,434
for Mendocino County
tragic week.
344
00:16:43,535 --> 00:16:46,804
There may be many questions
about what caused the accident
345
00:16:46,905 --> 00:16:48,940
and no new information
has been developed.
346
00:16:49,041 --> 00:16:50,841
There's a lot of unknowns
on this.
347
00:16:50,909 --> 00:16:53,077
The detective sergeant
and I said
348
00:16:53,178 --> 00:16:55,813
we need to open up
active missing persons report
349
00:16:55,914 --> 00:16:58,349
on the three kids
that weren't found.
350
00:16:58,450 --> 00:17:00,018
People may wonder why do you do
351
00:17:00,119 --> 00:17:01,719
a missing person case if,
you know,
352
00:17:01,820 --> 00:17:04,055
they were killed
in a traffic accident.
353
00:17:04,156 --> 00:17:08,092
But in this case,
the bodies were missing.
354
00:17:08,193 --> 00:17:10,094
We have every indication
to believe that
355
00:17:10,195 --> 00:17:12,730
all six kids were in the SUV.
356
00:17:12,831 --> 00:17:15,466
However, only three bodies
have been recovered.
357
00:17:15,567 --> 00:17:18,836
Sierra is still missing,
358
00:17:18,937 --> 00:17:21,039
Hannah is still missing,
359
00:17:21,140 --> 00:17:24,242
and Devonte is still missing.
360
00:17:24,343 --> 00:17:26,377
When we put out a press release
361
00:17:26,478 --> 00:17:29,180
asking for information,
362
00:17:29,281 --> 00:17:31,983
we wanna know
where they came from,
363
00:17:32,084 --> 00:17:34,018
where they've been.
364
00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:36,921
All we wanna do
is get some media coverage.
365
00:17:37,022 --> 00:17:40,525
We're looking for these kids,
can you tell us anything?
366
00:17:40,626 --> 00:17:45,229
[dramatic music playing]
367
00:17:45,330 --> 00:17:48,299
[birds chirping]
368
00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:54,405
[Jackie]
Wednesday, March 28th, 2018,
369
00:17:54,506 --> 00:17:57,809
our newsroom received word
from California
370
00:17:57,910 --> 00:18:01,646
that there was an Oregon SUV
that had gone over
371
00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:03,815
a steep embankment on the coast.
372
00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:05,450
[news reporter]
What caused the family
373
00:18:05,551 --> 00:18:07,385
to drive over a cliff
to their death?
374
00:18:07,486 --> 00:18:09,554
That's the question
multiple agencies
375
00:18:09,655 --> 00:18:12,290
from California to Washington
are investigating.
376
00:18:12,391 --> 00:18:14,058
[Jackie] Anytime a whole family
377
00:18:14,159 --> 00:18:16,160
is killed in a crash
it's a huge news story.
378
00:18:16,261 --> 00:18:18,830
But then the photographer
that I worked with
379
00:18:18,931 --> 00:18:20,598
back in 2016
380
00:18:20,699 --> 00:18:22,467
ran into the newsroom and said,
381
00:18:22,568 --> 00:18:25,236
"Jackie, we interviewed them
at the Bernie Sanders rally."
382
00:18:25,337 --> 00:18:29,974
They've been standing in line
for hours to Feel the Bern.
383
00:18:30,075 --> 00:18:31,442
In the crowd,
the boy who started
384
00:18:31,543 --> 00:18:32,944
the free hug revolution.
385
00:18:33,045 --> 00:18:35,146
We could not believe it.
386
00:18:35,247 --> 00:18:37,281
They're such
a well-known family,
387
00:18:37,382 --> 00:18:40,651
he's such an adorable boy,
they all were.
388
00:18:40,752 --> 00:18:42,887
Hart and his family
are all smiles
389
00:18:42,988 --> 00:18:45,423
with what they call Hart Bern.
390
00:18:45,524 --> 00:18:46,958
He's planting the seeds
of a revolution.
391
00:18:47,059 --> 00:18:48,459
It's not...
It's not a fake thing.
392
00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:50,261
It's not just
a young people thing.
393
00:18:50,362 --> 00:18:51,929
A lot of my friends and family,
394
00:18:52,030 --> 00:18:54,065
this is what
we've been waiting for.
395
00:18:54,166 --> 00:18:55,900
It was stunning.
396
00:18:56,001 --> 00:18:58,903
And we knew that this was
going to be a story
397
00:18:59,004 --> 00:19:00,705
that we'd be following.
398
00:19:04,710 --> 00:19:06,043
So we immediately
started Googling
399
00:19:06,145 --> 00:19:09,714
where they could've gone off.
400
00:19:09,815 --> 00:19:13,284
And the more
we zoomed in we're, like,
401
00:19:13,385 --> 00:19:17,522
"How do you go off
the edge like that?
402
00:19:17,623 --> 00:19:19,323
How does that happen?"
403
00:19:19,424 --> 00:19:23,361
[dramatic music playing]
404
00:19:23,462 --> 00:19:25,530
[Jackie] So the newsroom sent
my colleague
405
00:19:25,631 --> 00:19:28,966
Bob High to the house.
406
00:19:29,067 --> 00:19:32,170
And he immediately saw
the CPS card
407
00:19:32,271 --> 00:19:33,804
in the door.
408
00:19:33,906 --> 00:19:35,673
[Bob] A business card from
409
00:19:35,774 --> 00:19:37,475
a Washington State Child
Protective Services worker
410
00:19:37,576 --> 00:19:39,043
was still in the front door
411
00:19:39,144 --> 00:19:40,678
of the Hart family's
home Wednesday.
412
00:19:40,779 --> 00:19:42,980
[Jackie] So Bob went
to the neighbors
413
00:19:43,081 --> 00:19:45,449
and they were the ones
who revealed
414
00:19:45,551 --> 00:19:47,685
that they called CPS.
415
00:19:47,786 --> 00:19:49,353
[Bob] One of the Hart's
adopted children
416
00:19:49,454 --> 00:19:51,189
started asking neighbors Dana
417
00:19:51,290 --> 00:19:53,791
and Bruce Dekalb
for food every day.
418
00:19:53,892 --> 00:19:56,627
[Dana]
Non-perishable food items.
419
00:19:56,728 --> 00:19:59,997
And was asking
that we not tell his mom
420
00:20:00,098 --> 00:20:02,833
and to, you know, hide it
and put it by the fence
421
00:20:02,935 --> 00:20:04,635
so he could get to it
422
00:20:04,736 --> 00:20:06,504
and that they were withholding
food from him
423
00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:08,472
as punishment.
424
00:20:08,574 --> 00:20:10,308
[Jackie] Devonte, he was saying,
425
00:20:10,409 --> 00:20:12,276
"Our moms, they're punishing us.
426
00:20:12,377 --> 00:20:15,846
They're depriving us of food.
We're starving."
427
00:20:15,948 --> 00:20:17,782
Looking at their
social media posts,
428
00:20:17,883 --> 00:20:19,617
they were living this seemingly
429
00:20:19,751 --> 00:20:21,652
perfect life online.
430
00:20:21,753 --> 00:20:23,287
They created this persona,
431
00:20:23,388 --> 00:20:26,657
this family living in harmony.
432
00:20:26,758 --> 00:20:29,026
But it was completely different
433
00:20:29,127 --> 00:20:30,895
from what was actually emerging
434
00:20:30,996 --> 00:20:34,732
and what was happening
behind those closed doors.
435
00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:37,301
We knew that there was just
so much more to the story
436
00:20:37,402 --> 00:20:39,103
and we had really just hit
the tip of the iceberg
437
00:20:39,204 --> 00:20:40,771
at that point.
438
00:20:46,144 --> 00:20:48,312
[suspenseful music playing]
439
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:04,462
[Irene] I was driving in my car
440
00:21:04,563 --> 00:21:08,032
on the way to the gym
441
00:21:08,133 --> 00:21:12,069
and my phone rang
and a dear friend of mine
442
00:21:12,170 --> 00:21:13,537
who did not know the Harts
443
00:21:13,639 --> 00:21:16,440
but knew that
I was friends with them.
444
00:21:16,541 --> 00:21:18,175
"She said, "I think
you need to pull over
445
00:21:18,277 --> 00:21:20,745
and look at the news right now."
446
00:21:20,846 --> 00:21:22,179
We just learned from
447
00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:23,881
the Mendocino County
Sheriff's office
448
00:21:23,982 --> 00:21:25,783
that they believe
the entire Hart family,
449
00:21:25,884 --> 00:21:28,419
all eight of them,
were likely in this SUV
450
00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:30,187
when it plunged 100-feet
over a cliff
451
00:21:30,289 --> 00:21:32,890
on the California coast.
452
00:21:32,991 --> 00:21:34,792
[Irene] I went on my phone
453
00:21:34,893 --> 00:21:37,395
and I looked at the news.
454
00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:41,899
And I fell to pieces.
455
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,035
To some, a very vibrant family,
456
00:21:44,136 --> 00:21:46,003
a model of what love looks like.
457
00:21:46,104 --> 00:21:48,339
Others though say
there were signs of trouble
458
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,107
prompting
Child Protective Services
459
00:21:50,175 --> 00:21:51,709
to start an investigation.
460
00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:53,778
As the news continue to develop
461
00:21:53,879 --> 00:21:58,282
and the truth about the story
started to be revealed,
462
00:21:58,383 --> 00:22:01,786
it became so much
more difficult to process.
463
00:22:04,623 --> 00:22:06,824
[Jackie]
The minute the news broke,
464
00:22:06,925 --> 00:22:10,094
the social media mob really,
like, took off.
465
00:22:10,195 --> 00:22:12,363
I was getting bombarded
with messages and they were,
466
00:22:12,464 --> 00:22:14,532
like, "You're not reporting
the full story."
467
00:22:14,633 --> 00:22:17,435
Or, "They probably dropped
the kids off."
468
00:22:17,536 --> 00:22:19,904
Or, "Devonte may be
being human-trafficked."
469
00:22:20,005 --> 00:22:24,008
I mean, it was unbelievable.
470
00:22:24,109 --> 00:22:25,776
Then we'd have the people coming
471
00:22:25,877 --> 00:22:27,945
to their defense,
"These were amazing moms."
472
00:22:28,046 --> 00:22:30,414
We weren't duped,
that love wasn't fake.
473
00:22:30,515 --> 00:22:31,782
They love their children.
474
00:22:31,883 --> 00:22:34,118
They weren't White Supremacist.
475
00:22:34,219 --> 00:22:36,954
They just were isolated.
476
00:22:37,055 --> 00:22:38,189
They were in pain.
477
00:22:38,290 --> 00:22:41,425
I had massive questions.
478
00:22:41,526 --> 00:22:43,861
The biggest one was,
479
00:22:43,962 --> 00:22:45,529
"How do you just drive-off
a cliff
480
00:22:45,630 --> 00:22:48,065
with a whole car
full of people?"
481
00:22:52,204 --> 00:22:54,739
[dramatic music playing]
482
00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:56,173
[Jackie]
Our newsroom was working
483
00:22:56,274 --> 00:22:58,008
to put this timeline together.
484
00:22:58,110 --> 00:23:02,513
We knew CPS had visited
the house on Friday,
485
00:23:02,614 --> 00:23:06,250
the SUV was in the driveway
and no one answered the door.
486
00:23:06,351 --> 00:23:10,154
They go back on Monday,
the SUV was gone.
487
00:23:10,255 --> 00:23:12,690
We knew that the Hart's
clearly had left
488
00:23:12,791 --> 00:23:14,825
and they left in a hurry.
489
00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:16,260
[waves crashing]
490
00:23:16,361 --> 00:23:18,562
[Jackie]
But why did they do that?
491
00:23:18,663 --> 00:23:21,665
When did they leave?
Where did they go?
492
00:23:21,767 --> 00:23:23,734
There's got to be a forensic way
493
00:23:23,835 --> 00:23:25,336
to put this together.
494
00:23:25,437 --> 00:23:28,439
[dramatic music playing]
495
00:23:30,609 --> 00:23:33,411
[suspenseful music playing]
496
00:23:33,512 --> 00:23:37,882
[Shannon] So the actual
accident investigation
497
00:23:37,983 --> 00:23:39,350
falls under the jurisdiction
498
00:23:39,451 --> 00:23:41,652
of the California
Highway Patrol.
499
00:23:43,755 --> 00:23:46,991
They have highly-trained
accident investigators
500
00:23:47,092 --> 00:23:49,093
to kind of piece this
all back together.
501
00:23:51,363 --> 00:23:53,197
[Sheriff Tom]
They can find out the speed
502
00:23:53,298 --> 00:23:54,932
it was going,
503
00:23:55,033 --> 00:23:56,567
they can find out
if bulbs were working,
504
00:23:56,668 --> 00:23:59,069
if brakes were applied.
505
00:23:59,171 --> 00:24:03,707
They will do as much
of a forensic investigation
506
00:24:03,809 --> 00:24:05,743
on that vehicle
507
00:24:05,844 --> 00:24:08,879
as some pathologist
508
00:24:08,980 --> 00:24:11,515
would do a forensic
investigation on a body.
509
00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:17,455
[Shannon]
Initially, we're thinking
510
00:24:17,589 --> 00:24:20,491
this unsuspecting family
is driving down Highway 1
511
00:24:20,592 --> 00:24:23,060
which is a two-lane
narrow highway
512
00:24:23,161 --> 00:24:25,296
possibly at night
513
00:24:25,397 --> 00:24:28,799
and they accidentally leave
the roadway
514
00:24:28,900 --> 00:24:31,535
and go across
this very large turnout.
515
00:24:36,074 --> 00:24:38,976
Normally,
you would've expected...
516
00:24:40,545 --> 00:24:42,112
skid marks.
517
00:24:42,214 --> 00:24:45,149
You know, where they applied
massive braking
518
00:24:45,250 --> 00:24:48,986
but there were
no skid marks at all.
519
00:24:50,555 --> 00:24:53,224
Also, according
to the Highway Patrol,
520
00:24:53,325 --> 00:24:56,327
there was no indication
of seatbelt use,
521
00:24:56,428 --> 00:24:58,662
which is odd
because some of the friends
522
00:24:58,763 --> 00:25:01,632
of the family indicated
that Jennifer
523
00:25:01,733 --> 00:25:04,969
was adamant about the use
of safety belts
524
00:25:05,070 --> 00:25:06,670
when they're driving.
525
00:25:06,738 --> 00:25:09,473
But the investigation indicated
526
00:25:09,574 --> 00:25:11,375
no safety belts
were worn at all.
527
00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,115
Eventually,
the California Highway Patrol
528
00:25:18,216 --> 00:25:19,617
were able to download
some information
529
00:25:19,718 --> 00:25:22,253
from the vehicle's computer
530
00:25:24,222 --> 00:25:28,726
and it was determined that
there was no braking
531
00:25:28,827 --> 00:25:33,898
and the speedometer
was pegged and locked
532
00:25:33,999 --> 00:25:37,635
at around 90 miles an hour.
533
00:25:40,105 --> 00:25:42,039
Those are indications
that the vehicle
534
00:25:42,140 --> 00:25:45,009
was involved
in rapid acceleration.
535
00:25:45,110 --> 00:25:46,844
[news reporter]
Electronic data pulled
536
00:25:46,945 --> 00:25:48,646
from the Hart's SUV indicates
Jennifer Hart
537
00:25:48,747 --> 00:25:50,948
pulled off Highway 1
at a dirt turnaround.
538
00:25:51,049 --> 00:25:53,784
Investigators say
the SUV stopped 70 feet
539
00:25:53,885 --> 00:25:56,387
from the cliff edge
and then accelerated
540
00:25:56,488 --> 00:25:59,456
plunging the entire family
to their death.
541
00:26:02,827 --> 00:26:04,695
[Sheriff Tom] When you start
putting the totality
542
00:26:04,796 --> 00:26:08,165
of everything together
you would be a village idiot
543
00:26:08,266 --> 00:26:10,501
if you didn't think that,
544
00:26:10,602 --> 00:26:13,037
you know,
something was rotten here.
545
00:26:13,138 --> 00:26:16,874
[ominous music playing]
546
00:26:16,975 --> 00:26:18,409
[Sheriff Tom]
If on day one I had said,
547
00:26:18,510 --> 00:26:20,344
"Gosh, this was
an intentional act"
548
00:26:20,445 --> 00:26:22,012
then it was homicide.
549
00:26:22,113 --> 00:26:24,748
Oh, can you imagine?"
People would've said,
550
00:26:24,849 --> 00:26:27,284
"Who are you to make
that determination?"
551
00:26:27,385 --> 00:26:30,721
You know?
Who would kill six kids?
552
00:26:30,822 --> 00:26:34,291
I'm a dad.
Who would kill six kids?
553
00:26:34,392 --> 00:26:36,293
But if this is not an accident,
554
00:26:36,394 --> 00:26:38,195
that means one thing,
555
00:26:38,296 --> 00:26:40,698
it means it was a crime.
556
00:26:40,799 --> 00:26:43,968
If it's a crime, it's murder.
557
00:26:49,341 --> 00:26:50,407
[news reporter]
And we begin tonight
558
00:26:50,508 --> 00:26:51,442
with new information.
559
00:26:51,543 --> 00:26:53,377
Investigators are shedding
new light on why
560
00:26:53,478 --> 00:26:55,279
they believed
a Washington family's
561
00:26:55,380 --> 00:26:57,648
deadly crash off a cliff
in California
562
00:26:57,749 --> 00:27:00,084
was intentional.
563
00:27:00,151 --> 00:27:02,186
[Sheriff Tom]
At the very beginning,
564
00:27:02,287 --> 00:27:04,888
when I said
I have no reason to believe
565
00:27:04,990 --> 00:27:06,557
this was anything
but an accident,
566
00:27:06,658 --> 00:27:07,858
I believed it.
567
00:27:07,959 --> 00:27:09,860
But that changed.
568
00:27:09,961 --> 00:27:12,029
When things started developing,
569
00:27:12,130 --> 00:27:16,667
from a traffic accident
to a homicide investigation,
570
00:27:16,768 --> 00:27:20,037
that's not a baby step,
that's a big leap
571
00:27:20,138 --> 00:27:21,839
but it is what it is.
572
00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:23,273
[news reported]
With me, Shane Cavanaugh,
573
00:27:23,375 --> 00:27:24,942
staff writer for the Oregonian.
574
00:27:25,043 --> 00:27:27,444
Mendocino County Sheriff
Tom Allman.
575
00:27:27,545 --> 00:27:29,380
So right after the accident
I was on CNN
576
00:27:29,481 --> 00:27:30,948
to make that statement.
577
00:27:31,049 --> 00:27:32,516
Sheriff, I wanna begin with you.
578
00:27:32,617 --> 00:27:34,318
We're starting to get
at least a picture
579
00:27:34,419 --> 00:27:37,121
of where this family was
before this horrible accident.
580
00:27:37,222 --> 00:27:39,857
Is that helping you
in any way to figure out
581
00:27:39,958 --> 00:27:41,525
why the accident happened
582
00:27:41,626 --> 00:27:43,694
and where are those
three missing kids are?
583
00:27:43,795 --> 00:27:45,529
Well, it's certainly helping us
584
00:27:45,630 --> 00:27:47,331
determine the route.
585
00:27:47,432 --> 00:27:48,832
I... I'm to the point
where I no longer am calling
586
00:27:48,933 --> 00:27:50,601
this an accident.
I'm calling it a crime.
587
00:27:50,702 --> 00:27:53,704
[ominous music playing]
588
00:28:02,347 --> 00:28:06,350
[Zaron] Every day I go on
Twitter looking for stories.
589
00:28:06,451 --> 00:28:09,119
Because as a journalist,
it is the place
590
00:28:09,220 --> 00:28:10,587
that you can see a story
591
00:28:10,689 --> 00:28:13,557
before it becomes a news story.
592
00:28:13,658 --> 00:28:16,126
And some Black women
that I follow,
593
00:28:16,227 --> 00:28:18,929
they were posting
about Devonte Hart,
594
00:28:19,030 --> 00:28:21,865
this kid who had gone missing
and they said it's the kid
595
00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:25,669
from that viral photo
from the Ferguson protest.
596
00:28:25,770 --> 00:28:29,773
And I said, "Wait,
that's the kid who's missing?"
597
00:28:29,874 --> 00:28:34,178
And it stuck with me because
I'll put it very simple,
598
00:28:34,279 --> 00:28:37,047
when you have two White mothers
599
00:28:37,148 --> 00:28:39,349
who adopted not one, not two,
600
00:28:39,451 --> 00:28:41,518
but multiple Black children,
601
00:28:41,619 --> 00:28:46,223
enough to fill a Suburban
that alone is the curiosity.
602
00:28:46,324 --> 00:28:49,059
But as soon as the story
started developing,
603
00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:50,694
people started to dig into it.
604
00:28:50,795 --> 00:28:52,396
Not only was there
a lot more to it
605
00:28:52,497 --> 00:28:55,933
but the tragedy
was incomprehensible.
606
00:28:56,034 --> 00:28:59,036
[dramatic music playing]
607
00:29:05,543 --> 00:29:09,446
[Dr. Raquel]
In 2004, Markis, Abigail,
608
00:29:09,547 --> 00:29:11,014
and Hannah came to the attention
609
00:29:11,082 --> 00:29:13,517
of Child Welfare in Texas.
610
00:29:13,618 --> 00:29:16,286
The children were very young
at the time
611
00:29:16,387 --> 00:29:18,622
and they came
from poor backgrounds.
612
00:29:18,723 --> 00:29:22,760
[Sharon] Markis was five,
he was in school,
613
00:29:22,861 --> 00:29:26,964
then Hannah was about two,
614
00:29:27,065 --> 00:29:29,900
and then Abi was still a baby,
615
00:29:30,001 --> 00:29:32,603
she was like six months.
616
00:29:32,704 --> 00:29:36,306
The biological mom
had some issues
617
00:29:36,407 --> 00:29:38,475
and the children weren't
getting the medical care
618
00:29:38,576 --> 00:29:40,444
that they needed.
619
00:29:40,545 --> 00:29:43,413
And he decided that
it would be best for the kids
620
00:29:43,515 --> 00:29:47,017
if she went ahead
and relinquished her rights
621
00:29:47,118 --> 00:29:51,655
and let them get adopted.
622
00:29:51,756 --> 00:29:53,857
[Dr. Raquel]
Jen and Sarah worked through
623
00:29:53,958 --> 00:29:56,693
the Permanent Family
Resource Center
624
00:29:56,795 --> 00:29:59,963
which was
an adoption service agency
625
00:30:00,064 --> 00:30:02,666
in Minnesota
626
00:30:02,767 --> 00:30:07,771
and adopted Markis
and his two siblings
627
00:30:07,872 --> 00:30:12,409
Abigail and Hannah in 2006.
628
00:30:12,510 --> 00:30:14,812
[Sharon] Jen and Sarah
were a same-sex couple
629
00:30:14,913 --> 00:30:17,848
and instead of trying
to have a baby through,
630
00:30:17,949 --> 00:30:20,350
you know, artificial means,
they felt that adopting
631
00:30:20,451 --> 00:30:24,288
a sibling group
was a better alternative.
632
00:30:24,389 --> 00:30:27,291
I met them on the phone
the first time
633
00:30:27,392 --> 00:30:30,294
and there was just something
about them.
634
00:30:30,395 --> 00:30:32,996
They were open to any therapies
635
00:30:33,097 --> 00:30:35,265
that the kids needed
to go through.
636
00:30:35,366 --> 00:30:37,401
They were very supportive
of the fact
637
00:30:37,502 --> 00:30:40,938
that they were siblings
and needed to stay together.
638
00:30:41,039 --> 00:30:42,673
I don't know.
It was just the things
639
00:30:42,774 --> 00:30:44,775
that they said
were all the right things.
640
00:30:47,178 --> 00:30:48,979
[dramatic music playing]
641
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:50,480
[Dr. Raquel] The adoption
worker found the home
642
00:30:50,582 --> 00:30:52,182
was suitable.
643
00:30:52,283 --> 00:30:56,753
They were making adequate
sleeping arrangements.
644
00:30:56,855 --> 00:30:59,289
They took them
for speech therapy
645
00:30:59,390 --> 00:31:02,259
and kept up with their
medication regiment.
646
00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,095
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta.
647
00:31:05,196 --> 00:31:07,998
[Sharon]
Approximately a year later
648
00:31:08,099 --> 00:31:11,401
I had to take three more kids
to Minnesota.
649
00:31:11,502 --> 00:31:15,005
So, I checked in on Markis,
and Hannah, and Abi.
650
00:31:15,106 --> 00:31:18,008
And the difference was amazing.
651
00:31:20,111 --> 00:31:22,379
[Diane] I met Jen and Sarah
in our store
652
00:31:22,480 --> 00:31:25,249
in Alexandria, Minnesota.
653
00:31:25,350 --> 00:31:27,818
Markis, Hannah, and Abigail,
654
00:31:27,919 --> 00:31:30,554
they came into the store
quite a bit.
655
00:31:30,655 --> 00:31:32,322
Sarah and Jen
were very proud of them
656
00:31:32,423 --> 00:31:35,492
and introduced them
to all of us.
657
00:31:35,593 --> 00:31:38,362
As soon as they saw you,
you'd always get a hug.
658
00:31:38,463 --> 00:31:40,597
They'd always talk to you.
659
00:31:40,698 --> 00:31:44,334
They just seem like
a happy family.
660
00:31:44,435 --> 00:31:47,437
[ominous music playing]
661
00:31:54,012 --> 00:31:58,081
[Dr. Raquel] In 2008,
Sarah and Jen were approved
662
00:31:58,182 --> 00:32:01,318
to adopt Devonte,
663
00:32:01,419 --> 00:32:04,488
Jeremiah, and Sierra.
664
00:32:04,589 --> 00:32:06,823
But while they're
in that process,
665
00:32:06,925 --> 00:32:10,928
there is an allegation
about a physical disciplining
666
00:32:11,029 --> 00:32:14,197
in the home that
may have been inappropriate.
667
00:32:18,503 --> 00:32:20,737
Hannah made a report in school
668
00:32:20,838 --> 00:32:25,409
that she was hit by her parent.
669
00:32:25,510 --> 00:32:30,147
Jen and Sarah both denied
having any knowledge
670
00:32:30,248 --> 00:32:34,251
of how or why Hannah
had bruises.
671
00:32:34,352 --> 00:32:36,320
Child Welfare did investigate,
672
00:32:36,421 --> 00:32:40,557
but by all accounts
there was not enough evidence
673
00:32:40,658 --> 00:32:43,927
to indicate that
that had actually happened.
674
00:32:46,864 --> 00:32:51,101
But on November 15th, 2010,
675
00:32:51,202 --> 00:32:53,070
Abigail was in school
676
00:32:53,171 --> 00:32:55,639
and she mentioned to her teacher
677
00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:59,009
that her mom gave her an owie,
678
00:33:01,045 --> 00:33:03,380
and she pulled up her shirt
679
00:33:03,481 --> 00:33:07,117
and her teacher saw bruises
on her stomach.
680
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,454
[Zaron]
Based on the CPS reports,
681
00:33:10,555 --> 00:33:12,622
there are bruises indeed
by her belly button
682
00:33:12,724 --> 00:33:15,993
but then also on her back,
and up by her sternum.
683
00:33:16,094 --> 00:33:19,696
This is not some child
who is clumsy or fallen.
684
00:33:19,797 --> 00:33:22,165
The cops find out that
the parents felt the child
685
00:33:22,266 --> 00:33:23,834
needed to be disciplined
because the child
686
00:33:23,935 --> 00:33:26,636
had a penny in her pocket.
687
00:33:26,738 --> 00:33:28,638
So the parents, Sarah and Jen,
688
00:33:28,740 --> 00:33:33,043
gets so upset that one of them
beat the child.
689
00:33:33,144 --> 00:33:37,647
The child said it was Jen
but the cops eventually
690
00:33:37,749 --> 00:33:41,251
arrested Sarah and she pleads
to domestic assault.
691
00:33:46,991 --> 00:33:49,292
[Diane] I got
a telephone call at home
692
00:33:49,394 --> 00:33:51,161
one evening from Sarah.
693
00:33:51,262 --> 00:33:52,796
She had some serious matter
694
00:33:52,897 --> 00:33:54,231
that she needed to take care of
695
00:33:54,332 --> 00:33:56,933
so she wanted to change shifts
696
00:33:57,035 --> 00:33:59,536
with me at the store.
697
00:33:59,637 --> 00:34:05,075
She told me that she had
spanked Abigail too hard
698
00:34:05,176 --> 00:34:10,947
and there were bruises
and the police were involved.
699
00:34:11,049 --> 00:34:14,518
I was surprised, disappointed,
700
00:34:14,619 --> 00:34:17,521
but when she told me
the situation,
701
00:34:17,622 --> 00:34:19,556
there was something
I guess that I felt
702
00:34:19,657 --> 00:34:22,459
just seemed a little bit off.
703
00:34:22,527 --> 00:34:25,896
And my gut instinct right away
704
00:34:25,997 --> 00:34:29,166
was that she was covering
for Jen.
705
00:34:36,107 --> 00:34:37,908
[Jackie] "Sarah immediately
took responsibility"
706
00:34:38,009 --> 00:34:41,178
for the spanking that
occurred the previous day.
707
00:34:41,279 --> 00:34:43,080
The defendant explained
that she and her partner
708
00:34:43,181 --> 00:34:45,782
Jennifer do not ordinarily
use spanking
709
00:34:45,883 --> 00:34:47,918
as a disciplinary measure.
710
00:34:48,019 --> 00:34:50,020
However,
they had recently resorted
711
00:34:50,121 --> 00:34:53,023
to spanking to deal
with AH's behavior.
712
00:34:53,124 --> 00:34:55,225
The defendant admitted
that she let her anger
713
00:34:55,293 --> 00:34:57,060
get out of control
the previous day
714
00:34:57,161 --> 00:35:00,397
while dealing with AH.
715
00:35:00,498 --> 00:35:02,833
The defendant explained
that she took AH
716
00:35:02,934 --> 00:35:04,501
into the bathroom
717
00:35:04,602 --> 00:35:07,704
and bent AH over the edge
of the tub.
718
00:35:11,342 --> 00:35:12,776
The defendant admitted
that she hit
719
00:35:12,877 --> 00:35:15,078
AH on the back side
720
00:35:15,179 --> 00:35:17,447
and acknowledged that
the marks on AH's stomach
721
00:35:17,548 --> 00:35:20,851
"probably came from AH
being bent over the tub."
722
00:35:23,421 --> 00:35:25,956
It's just hard to read.
723
00:35:26,057 --> 00:35:29,059
[dramatic music playing]
724
00:35:44,108 --> 00:35:46,076
[Dr. Raquel]
Between November 2010
725
00:35:46,177 --> 00:35:47,744
and January 2011,
726
00:35:47,845 --> 00:35:50,247
there were six allegations
of abuse
727
00:35:50,348 --> 00:35:51,948
against Jen and Sarah
728
00:35:52,049 --> 00:35:54,017
called into
Child Protective Services.
729
00:35:55,753 --> 00:36:00,023
But even after Sarah
was convicted,
730
00:36:00,124 --> 00:36:02,159
Child Welfare did not feel
731
00:36:02,260 --> 00:36:05,028
that there was enough
information or evidence
732
00:36:05,129 --> 00:36:07,898
in this case to suggest
that these children
733
00:36:07,999 --> 00:36:11,268
were being neglected
and/or abused.
734
00:36:13,137 --> 00:36:14,504
[Zaron] Eventually,
735
00:36:14,605 --> 00:36:16,173
Jen and Sarah seemed to notice
736
00:36:16,274 --> 00:36:19,176
that if they can minimize
the children's contact
737
00:36:19,277 --> 00:36:22,546
with other adults
then nobody would be able
738
00:36:22,647 --> 00:36:24,681
to file reports with CPS,
739
00:36:24,782 --> 00:36:27,017
nobody would be able
to involve police officers
740
00:36:27,118 --> 00:36:28,518
coming to the house unannounced
741
00:36:28,619 --> 00:36:30,754
to check on their children.
742
00:36:30,855 --> 00:36:33,690
So they learned
the obvious lesson,
743
00:36:33,791 --> 00:36:36,560
remove the children from school.
744
00:36:36,661 --> 00:36:38,495
So you no longer
have school nurses,
745
00:36:38,596 --> 00:36:40,397
and cops,
and social workers noticing
746
00:36:40,498 --> 00:36:42,933
the children had now fallen
through the cracks.
747
00:36:50,408 --> 00:36:51,875
[dramatic music playing]
748
00:36:51,976 --> 00:36:53,977
[news reporter] Authorities
say they have recovered
749
00:36:54,078 --> 00:36:55,512
a body they believe belongs
to one
750
00:36:55,613 --> 00:36:57,347
of the three children
who went missing
751
00:36:57,448 --> 00:37:01,284
along the Northern
California coastline.
752
00:37:01,385 --> 00:37:03,420
[Cynthia] On April 7th
I was notified
753
00:37:03,521 --> 00:37:06,089
that we were able
to locate remains
754
00:37:06,190 --> 00:37:07,958
of another young juvenile.
755
00:37:08,059 --> 00:37:10,126
[waves crashing]
756
00:37:10,228 --> 00:37:11,895
[Cynthia] She was
in the general vicinity
757
00:37:11,996 --> 00:37:14,231
of where the crash was.
758
00:37:16,334 --> 00:37:19,736
We were pretty positive
we had one of the two females
759
00:37:19,837 --> 00:37:22,305
that we were missing.
760
00:37:22,406 --> 00:37:25,275
And when we were able
to gain DNA samples
761
00:37:25,376 --> 00:37:27,611
is when we were able
to identify her
762
00:37:27,712 --> 00:37:30,480
as Sierra Hart.
763
00:37:32,149 --> 00:37:34,417
Finding her, it just solidified
764
00:37:34,518 --> 00:37:37,387
that we were now looking
into a recovery process
765
00:37:37,488 --> 00:37:39,923
for the last two children.
766
00:37:40,024 --> 00:37:43,026
[ominous music playing]
767
00:37:45,997 --> 00:37:47,397
[Dan] Some new details tonight
768
00:37:47,498 --> 00:37:49,032
about the Washington family
769
00:37:49,133 --> 00:37:50,867
who drove off a cliff
in California.
770
00:37:50,968 --> 00:37:52,636
Tonight we're learning
information now
771
00:37:52,737 --> 00:37:56,139
about the biological mother
of three of those kids
772
00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:58,675
and their aunt's fight
to keep them in Texas.
773
00:37:58,743 --> 00:38:00,510
[news reporter]
This attorney, Shonda Jones,
774
00:38:00,611 --> 00:38:02,345
represented the aunt.
775
00:38:02,446 --> 00:38:04,014
She said she held
onto these case documents
776
00:38:04,115 --> 00:38:05,882
for seven years longer
than is normal
777
00:38:05,983 --> 00:38:07,450
because she felt this decision
778
00:38:07,551 --> 00:38:09,486
was such an injustice.
779
00:38:09,587 --> 00:38:11,354
[Shonda] I remember
I was at my office
780
00:38:11,455 --> 00:38:13,356
and I kept hearing about it.
781
00:38:13,457 --> 00:38:15,959
And then they said Devonte,
782
00:38:16,060 --> 00:38:18,461
they said Harris County,
and they said Minneapolis.
783
00:38:18,562 --> 00:38:21,798
And I know I said,
"That's my case."
784
00:38:23,434 --> 00:38:25,935
I was representing
Priscilla Celestine
785
00:38:26,037 --> 00:38:29,105
who was a paternal aunt
of Devonte,
786
00:38:29,206 --> 00:38:31,141
Jeremiah, and Sarah.
787
00:38:31,242 --> 00:38:34,444
I'm not gonna lie,
I became furious.
788
00:38:34,545 --> 00:38:35,945
I wanted people to know,
you know,
789
00:38:36,047 --> 00:38:38,014
there's another backstory
to this
790
00:38:38,115 --> 00:38:40,717
than besides what the media
is presenting.
791
00:38:43,254 --> 00:38:46,623
The mother of the children,
she had a drug problem
792
00:38:46,724 --> 00:38:48,792
and the state of Texas
was seeking
793
00:38:48,893 --> 00:38:50,960
to terminate
her parental rights,
794
00:38:51,062 --> 00:38:52,495
as well as the father
795
00:38:52,596 --> 00:38:54,164
of the children's
parental rights.
796
00:38:54,265 --> 00:38:56,166
And the father of the children,
797
00:38:56,267 --> 00:38:59,436
his sister
was Ms. Priscilla Celestine.
798
00:38:59,537 --> 00:39:01,504
She stepped in because
she wanted the children
799
00:39:01,605 --> 00:39:03,907
to remain with a family member
800
00:39:04,008 --> 00:39:06,443
instead of being placed
into foster care
801
00:39:06,544 --> 00:39:08,211
with the state of Texas.
802
00:39:08,312 --> 00:39:10,213
Ms. Celestine always had
a special place in my heart.
803
00:39:10,314 --> 00:39:15,852
She is a wonderful person,
honest, loyal, reliable.
804
00:39:18,823 --> 00:39:21,358
[Dr. Raquel] Ms. Celestine
kept a clean home.
805
00:39:21,459 --> 00:39:25,562
She took really good care
of the children.
806
00:39:25,663 --> 00:39:28,565
One day while Celestine
was at work,
807
00:39:28,666 --> 00:39:31,768
the daughter allowed
their biological mother
808
00:39:31,869 --> 00:39:34,871
to come in
and visit with the children,
809
00:39:34,972 --> 00:39:39,509
and the Child Welfare worker
showed up.
810
00:39:39,610 --> 00:39:41,678
They felt like
this was a violation.
811
00:39:41,779 --> 00:39:45,281
It put the children at risk
812
00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:48,585
and that it was such
a safety issue
813
00:39:48,686 --> 00:39:50,253
that they had to remove
the children
814
00:39:50,354 --> 00:39:53,356
from that home immediately.
815
00:39:53,457 --> 00:39:56,459
[dramatic music playing]
816
00:39:59,163 --> 00:40:01,064
[Mia] My name is Mia Williams
817
00:40:01,165 --> 00:40:02,932
and in 2006 I was a supervisor
818
00:40:03,033 --> 00:40:07,737
with Child Protective Services
in Houston, Texas.
819
00:40:07,838 --> 00:40:11,408
Within the state of Texas,
if there is an immediate risk
820
00:40:11,509 --> 00:40:14,210
or harm with the child
in that placement,
821
00:40:14,311 --> 00:40:17,213
the state has the authority
822
00:40:17,314 --> 00:40:20,183
to remove that child
from the home.
823
00:40:20,284 --> 00:40:22,118
And in this case,
824
00:40:22,219 --> 00:40:25,121
according to the family opinion,
825
00:40:25,222 --> 00:40:27,056
the case worker
went to the home,
826
00:40:27,158 --> 00:40:30,627
saw the biological mother there,
827
00:40:30,728 --> 00:40:33,263
probably received
the necessary approvals,
828
00:40:33,364 --> 00:40:35,198
and the children
were ultimately removed
829
00:40:35,299 --> 00:40:37,333
from the home and I'm sure
they probably placed them
830
00:40:37,435 --> 00:40:40,670
in an emergency shelter.
831
00:40:40,771 --> 00:40:43,406
[Dr. Raquel] Ms. Celestine,
by all accounts,
832
00:40:43,507 --> 00:40:46,009
she was providing
a good home for them.
833
00:40:46,110 --> 00:40:48,378
And one simple slip-up
834
00:40:48,479 --> 00:40:50,547
letting the mother
come see them,
835
00:40:50,681 --> 00:40:54,384
they just removed them
automatically.
836
00:40:54,485 --> 00:40:56,286
[Zaron]
Priscilla Celestine fought
837
00:40:56,387 --> 00:40:59,622
for those children and said
I want these children home
838
00:40:59,723 --> 00:41:01,925
in my house
because they are my family.
839
00:41:02,026 --> 00:41:04,761
And the law said, "No."
840
00:41:04,862 --> 00:41:08,198
Priscilla Celestine,
she tries to get custody
841
00:41:08,299 --> 00:41:09,966
of the children again.
842
00:41:10,067 --> 00:41:12,435
Her petition for custody
is denied.
843
00:41:12,536 --> 00:41:14,304
The children are then put
into the system
844
00:41:14,405 --> 00:41:17,073
and are eventually allowed
to be adopted by the Harts.
845
00:41:17,174 --> 00:41:20,176
[dramatic music playing]
846
00:41:32,690 --> 00:41:34,357
[Shonda] It was just
very baffling to me
847
00:41:34,458 --> 00:41:37,093
because it seemed like
it was all a sham,
848
00:41:37,194 --> 00:41:39,662
like, everything
was already planned
849
00:41:39,763 --> 00:41:41,164
and no matter what I said
or did,
850
00:41:41,265 --> 00:41:43,600
their mind was already made up.
851
00:41:43,701 --> 00:41:45,602
And I couldn't understand,
like, why are they trying
852
00:41:45,703 --> 00:41:48,905
to get these children
out of Texas to Minnesota.
853
00:41:49,006 --> 00:41:50,673
Come to find out,
854
00:41:50,774 --> 00:41:52,609
the people that
they were placing them with
855
00:41:52,710 --> 00:41:56,412
were the ones who were
actually abusing children.
856
00:41:56,514 --> 00:42:00,850
[Mia] The Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services policy states
857
00:42:00,951 --> 00:42:03,253
that throughout
the life of the case
858
00:42:03,354 --> 00:42:08,057
you should be looking
for relatives or fictive kin,
859
00:42:08,158 --> 00:42:11,261
meaning folks that have
a relationship
860
00:42:11,362 --> 00:42:14,364
with the child.
861
00:42:14,465 --> 00:42:16,633
[Zaron] Their aunt lost
custody because she allowed
862
00:42:16,734 --> 00:42:18,501
the children to have
an unsupervised visit
863
00:42:18,602 --> 00:42:20,370
with their own mother.
864
00:42:20,471 --> 00:42:22,405
Should that be the penalty
that these children
865
00:42:22,506 --> 00:42:24,674
are now gonna be consigned
to whatever fates
866
00:42:24,775 --> 00:42:27,010
the winds allow them?
867
00:42:27,111 --> 00:42:28,912
The White mothers,
after they adopt them,
868
00:42:29,013 --> 00:42:30,880
get busted
for physically abusing them.
869
00:42:30,981 --> 00:42:34,484
There's almost no consequences.
870
00:42:34,585 --> 00:42:37,153
The punishment is nothing,
871
00:42:37,254 --> 00:42:39,122
just think about that
for a second.
872
00:42:41,525 --> 00:42:43,159
[Bruce] So, good afternoon.
873
00:42:43,260 --> 00:42:44,394
I'm Bruce Carpenter.
874
00:42:44,495 --> 00:42:46,796
I'm the commander
of the Ukiah area.
875
00:42:48,098 --> 00:42:51,768
We got some preliminary
toxicology results back.
876
00:42:52,603 --> 00:42:54,904
We have determined that
877
00:42:55,005 --> 00:42:57,173
Jennifer Hart's
blood alcohol level was
878
00:42:57,274 --> 00:43:00,877
above the legal limit
based on preliminary results.
879
00:43:02,379 --> 00:43:05,281
[Cynthia] Jen had alcohol
in her system
880
00:43:05,382 --> 00:43:06,983
which, according to family,
881
00:43:07,084 --> 00:43:09,152
was a very
unusual thing for her.
882
00:43:09,253 --> 00:43:12,221
The preliminary
blood alcohol content
883
00:43:12,323 --> 00:43:15,558
was at 0.102.
884
00:43:15,659 --> 00:43:18,294
[Cynthia] We were told that
she very rarely drank alcohol.
885
00:43:18,395 --> 00:43:20,763
So it was a shock to her family
886
00:43:20,864 --> 00:43:22,732
that she had alcohol
in her system.
887
00:43:24,068 --> 00:43:26,436
And the other preliminary
results as well
888
00:43:26,537 --> 00:43:28,471
that have come to light
889
00:43:28,572 --> 00:43:30,773
is that Sarah Hart
890
00:43:30,874 --> 00:43:34,510
had a significant amount
of benadryl in her system.
891
00:43:36,313 --> 00:43:38,648
The children, also,
were determined
892
00:43:38,749 --> 00:43:42,285
to have had
benadryl-type of substances
893
00:43:42,386 --> 00:43:44,020
in their system.
894
00:43:58,535 --> 00:44:00,637
[Cynthia] Looking
at the three children,
895
00:44:00,738 --> 00:44:02,772
their levels of diphenhydramine
896
00:44:02,873 --> 00:44:04,107
was actually very high.
897
00:44:06,944 --> 00:44:08,811
[It. Shannon]
At those high levels,
898
00:44:08,912 --> 00:44:12,682
it was fairly indicative
that Sarah and Jennifer Hart
899
00:44:12,783 --> 00:44:15,385
drugged their children
before this incident.
900
00:44:17,054 --> 00:44:18,755
[camera shutter clicks]
901
00:44:21,058 --> 00:44:22,125
[Cynthia] That was
a huge shock to me
902
00:44:22,226 --> 00:44:23,159
and to all of us
903
00:44:24,161 --> 00:44:26,729
that they took the time
to actually give
904
00:44:26,830 --> 00:44:29,432
this amount of benadryl
to the children.
905
00:44:31,568 --> 00:44:36,439
And it had to have been done
an hour, two hours beforehand
906
00:44:36,540 --> 00:44:39,475
in order for the children
to be sound asleep
907
00:44:41,078 --> 00:44:43,212
when they drove
that car off of the cliff.
908
00:44:55,392 --> 00:44:57,393
[Dr. Joni] What we know
as forensic psychologists is
909
00:44:57,494 --> 00:45:01,097
that people wind up
doing bad things
910
00:45:01,198 --> 00:45:02,665
for a lot of different reasons.
911
00:45:03,934 --> 00:45:08,938
The term "family annihilation"
refers to someone who kills
912
00:45:09,039 --> 00:45:11,340
several close family members
913
00:45:11,442 --> 00:45:12,975
in a relatively short amount
of time.
914
00:45:14,678 --> 00:45:16,679
For people on the outside,
915
00:45:16,780 --> 00:45:20,183
family annihilation is
always a sudden event
916
00:45:20,284 --> 00:45:22,585
and a complete shock.
917
00:45:22,686 --> 00:45:26,889
But, this was not
an example of two individuals
918
00:45:26,990 --> 00:45:29,225
who just, on the spur
of the moment,
919
00:45:29,326 --> 00:45:30,693
were so desperate and despondent
920
00:45:30,794 --> 00:45:32,161
that they drove off a cliff.
921
00:45:33,163 --> 00:45:35,531
They had taken
some very specific steps
922
00:45:35,632 --> 00:45:38,868
to plan out this murder-suicide.
923
00:45:40,170 --> 00:45:43,106
In this case, there was
something that happens
924
00:45:43,207 --> 00:45:45,775
that sets the wheel in motion.
925
00:45:45,876 --> 00:45:47,443
We don't have
a clear understanding
926
00:45:47,544 --> 00:45:49,178
of what that stress was,
927
00:45:49,279 --> 00:45:51,347
but it's the end result
928
00:45:51,448 --> 00:45:53,583
of all these things
that have been going on
929
00:45:53,684 --> 00:45:54,984
for a long period of time.
930
00:45:58,856 --> 00:46:00,523
[reporter] Tonight,
a call for change,
931
00:46:00,624 --> 00:46:03,493
critics are calling out
Oregon DHS
932
00:46:03,594 --> 00:46:05,762
after recently-released
documents reveal
933
00:46:05,863 --> 00:46:08,097
officials here had
reports of abuse
934
00:46:08,198 --> 00:46:10,166
involving the Hart family
935
00:46:10,234 --> 00:46:12,268
long before their SUV crashed
936
00:46:12,369 --> 00:46:14,670
on the California coast
last month.
937
00:46:14,772 --> 00:46:16,773
[Dr. Raquel] This was
a report that was called in
938
00:46:16,874 --> 00:46:19,375
from one of Jennifer's friends.
939
00:46:21,044 --> 00:46:23,846
And what prompted this call
was an incident
940
00:46:23,947 --> 00:46:27,416
that happened on 06/28 in 2013.
941
00:46:30,687 --> 00:46:34,323
Jen and the kids
had been staying with friends.
942
00:46:34,424 --> 00:46:37,593
They had ordered
pizza one night.
943
00:46:37,694 --> 00:46:40,429
The friend thought
that it was a little strange
944
00:46:40,531 --> 00:46:43,065
Jen only gave the children,
945
00:46:43,167 --> 00:46:45,735
each of them,
a very small slice of pizza.
946
00:46:47,504 --> 00:46:49,572
In the middle of the night,
947
00:46:49,673 --> 00:46:52,742
one of the children came down
and they ate the pizza.
948
00:46:54,444 --> 00:46:57,246
And in the morning
when it was discovered,
949
00:46:57,347 --> 00:46:58,948
Jen got very upset.
950
00:47:00,884 --> 00:47:04,787
The friend reported that
she dragged one of the kids,
951
00:47:06,089 --> 00:47:11,027
and then she stated that
Jen had all six kids lay down
952
00:47:11,128 --> 00:47:13,663
on an inflated air-mattress
953
00:47:13,764 --> 00:47:16,232
with sleep masks on their faces
954
00:47:16,333 --> 00:47:19,902
and their arms by their side
for five hours.
955
00:47:21,405 --> 00:47:24,040
And when the friend spoke
to her about this,
956
00:47:24,141 --> 00:47:27,743
told her that she was
concerned about the situation,
957
00:47:28,178 --> 00:47:29,679
Jen did not see
958
00:47:29,780 --> 00:47:32,114
that what she was
doing was extreme.
959
00:47:38,488 --> 00:47:40,756
[suspenseful music playing]
960
00:47:44,127 --> 00:47:46,395
[Dr. Joni] There were
a lot of indications
961
00:47:46,496 --> 00:47:49,732
that these kids were
not being treated well,
962
00:47:49,833 --> 00:47:52,568
and that these kids were,
at the very least,
963
00:47:52,636 --> 00:47:54,303
in psychological danger.
964
00:47:55,639 --> 00:47:58,741
Withholding food, particularly
on a regular basis,
965
00:47:58,842 --> 00:48:00,643
it's so damaging to kids,
966
00:48:00,744 --> 00:48:03,613
physically, in terms
of their development,
967
00:48:03,714 --> 00:48:05,915
but also psychologically.
968
00:48:07,217 --> 00:48:08,551
[Dr. Raquel] According
to the report,
969
00:48:08,652 --> 00:48:11,320
Jen would kinda turn on and off.
970
00:48:11,421 --> 00:48:13,389
She would
only show them affection
971
00:48:13,490 --> 00:48:16,058
when she wanted
to capture certain pictures.
972
00:48:16,159 --> 00:48:17,894
And then as soon
as that was done,
973
00:48:17,995 --> 00:48:18,995
she would go back to,
974
00:48:19,096 --> 00:48:20,730
pretty much, ignoring the kids.
975
00:48:22,432 --> 00:48:24,467
The friends said
that the kids were
976
00:48:24,568 --> 00:48:27,069
like trained robots,
and if questioned, would
977
00:48:27,170 --> 00:48:29,538
likely not say anything.
978
00:48:30,841 --> 00:48:33,876
But if one can get Markis alone,
979
00:48:33,977 --> 00:48:37,146
he might honestly say
what is happening in the home.
980
00:48:44,388 --> 00:48:47,523
CPS did do an interview
with the children.
981
00:48:48,558 --> 00:48:50,826
They separated them
from the parents,
982
00:48:50,928 --> 00:48:51,894
but in-home,
983
00:48:51,995 --> 00:48:56,065
and asked them about
how they're disciplined.
984
00:48:56,166 --> 00:48:59,835
All of the children denied
that they were being abused.
985
00:49:00,704 --> 00:49:03,673
But this is not
necessarily unusual
986
00:49:03,774 --> 00:49:06,776
for a child not to say anything,
987
00:49:06,877 --> 00:49:09,979
especially if they're
being interviewed
988
00:49:10,080 --> 00:49:12,715
in the presence of,
or within the vicinity
989
00:49:12,816 --> 00:49:14,116
of their parent.
990
00:49:25,896 --> 00:49:29,832
The child welfare workers
sit down with Jen and Sarah
991
00:49:29,933 --> 00:49:33,970
to speak
about these allegations.
992
00:49:34,071 --> 00:49:37,039
Jen just passed it off
as, you know,
993
00:49:37,140 --> 00:49:40,176
they had food issues,
and that these children came
994
00:49:40,277 --> 00:49:43,212
from a home where they were
abused and neglected,
995
00:49:43,313 --> 00:49:44,814
and now they're
in a loving home.
996
00:49:44,915 --> 00:49:47,783
And sometimes they act out.
997
00:49:47,884 --> 00:49:50,653
[Zaron] They present this,
like, feral child model.
998
00:49:50,754 --> 00:49:53,155
This is the power that Jen,
as a white woman, has is
999
00:49:53,256 --> 00:49:55,624
that if she says something,
people believe it.
1000
00:49:57,160 --> 00:49:59,061
[Dr. Joni] Jen, I think,
tended to cope
1001
00:49:59,162 --> 00:50:00,396
by blaming other people,
1002
00:50:00,497 --> 00:50:02,832
by blaming the situation.
1003
00:50:02,933 --> 00:50:05,034
"It's the kids who had
the food issues.
1004
00:50:05,135 --> 00:50:07,303
It's not that we're not
feeding them"
1005
00:50:25,956 --> 00:50:28,891
[Dr. Raquel] When the doctor
did the evaluation,
1006
00:50:28,992 --> 00:50:31,027
it was stated that each
and every one
1007
00:50:31,128 --> 00:50:33,329
of the children,
except for Jeremiah,
1008
00:50:33,430 --> 00:50:35,998
was below the weight and height
1009
00:50:36,066 --> 00:50:37,867
where they should be
for their age.
1010
00:50:39,436 --> 00:50:41,137
But yet, he said that they were
1011
00:50:41,238 --> 00:50:43,372
still normal
and healthy children.
1012
00:50:45,275 --> 00:50:47,476
[Zaron] You have
two sets of children,
1013
00:50:47,577 --> 00:50:49,478
the two groups are
not biologically related,
1014
00:50:49,579 --> 00:50:51,280
and yet they all have
the same conditions
1015
00:50:51,381 --> 00:50:53,115
of not being
on the growth charts,
1016
00:50:53,216 --> 00:50:55,084
not tracking in terms
of normal development.
1017
00:50:56,720 --> 00:50:58,721
Why do they all have
the same condition?
1018
00:51:04,194 --> 00:51:06,862
The CPS worker takes
six months to complete
1019
00:51:06,963 --> 00:51:09,198
the report, and by the day
after Christmas,
1020
00:51:09,299 --> 00:51:10,599
they receive a report that...
1021
00:51:11,368 --> 00:51:12,735
there was reason to believe
1022
00:51:12,836 --> 00:51:14,737
that there may be
something going on
1023
00:51:14,838 --> 00:51:16,072
in the house.
1024
00:51:16,173 --> 00:51:17,840
They just say
that it is inconclusive
1025
00:51:17,941 --> 00:51:19,775
and that they lacked
the evidence to act.
1026
00:51:23,380 --> 00:51:27,349
The message to the parents is
"We're getting away with it."
1027
00:51:28,552 --> 00:51:32,054
And the message to the kids is,
1028
00:51:32,155 --> 00:51:33,622
"Nothing is gonna be done.
1029
00:51:34,624 --> 00:51:36,358
Nobody's got your back",
1030
00:51:36,460 --> 00:51:38,961
and makes it less
and less likely
1031
00:51:39,062 --> 00:51:40,296
that there would be
an opportunity
1032
00:51:40,397 --> 00:51:42,498
for anyone to intervene.
1033
00:51:49,039 --> 00:51:51,574
- [soft clapping]
- [indistinct chatter]
1034
00:51:51,675 --> 00:51:55,111
[people chanting "Om"]
1035
00:52:10,260 --> 00:52:12,661
[Irene] I met the Harts in 2013
1036
00:52:12,762 --> 00:52:16,365
at the Mystic Festival
in Oregon.
1037
00:52:16,466 --> 00:52:19,668
The kids were there. They were
really small at that point.
1038
00:52:19,769 --> 00:52:21,737
I remember...
1039
00:52:21,838 --> 00:52:23,072
thinking to myself,
"They must be
1040
00:52:23,173 --> 00:52:24,773
like, three or four years old."
1041
00:52:26,409 --> 00:52:28,911
I was most drawn towards Devonte
1042
00:52:29,012 --> 00:52:30,579
with his "Free Hugs" sign on,
1043
00:52:30,680 --> 00:52:32,381
because it felt
like an invitation.
1044
00:52:33,416 --> 00:52:36,018
He had so much charm,
1045
00:52:36,119 --> 00:52:38,754
just charms the pants
off of everybody.
1046
00:52:40,624 --> 00:52:46,662
Devonte was bright, joyful,
but also timid.
1047
00:52:46,763 --> 00:52:49,298
[indistinct singing]
1048
00:52:49,399 --> 00:52:51,800
[Niema] He would often wear
these, like, body suits,
1049
00:52:51,902 --> 00:52:54,670
or little bits
of colorful costume pieces.
1050
00:52:54,771 --> 00:52:57,940
But whatever
larger-than-life-ness
1051
00:52:58,041 --> 00:53:00,142
he might have had
in the pictures,
1052
00:53:00,243 --> 00:53:01,911
[audience member]
Woo! Beautiful.
1053
00:53:03,246 --> 00:53:04,480
[Niema] ...when
you touched him, he was
1054
00:53:04,581 --> 00:53:07,082
just this thin boy.
1055
00:53:07,751 --> 00:53:09,585
[all cheering]
1056
00:53:10,487 --> 00:53:11,854
Jen looked like
1057
00:53:11,955 --> 00:53:13,822
the commanding officer in a way.
1058
00:53:13,924 --> 00:53:16,192
She was just like, "Okay.
You go here, you do this."
1059
00:53:17,327 --> 00:53:19,495
She was definitely
always organizing the kids,
1060
00:53:19,596 --> 00:53:22,965
or taking the photos
or staging things.
1061
00:53:25,168 --> 00:53:27,236
[Irene] Everyone was
just celebrating them
1062
00:53:27,337 --> 00:53:28,904
and they were just like,
leading the way.
1063
00:53:29,005 --> 00:53:30,239
Like, "This is how you live."
1064
00:53:31,141 --> 00:53:33,242
This is
the picture of happiness.
1065
00:53:34,678 --> 00:53:35,711
I remember being like,
1066
00:53:35,812 --> 00:53:37,513
"I want to be like Sarah
and Jennifer one day.
1067
00:53:37,647 --> 00:53:40,282
I want to have that much love
to offer my child."
1068
00:53:42,519 --> 00:53:43,752
[Niema] I don't think
they were really close
1069
00:53:43,853 --> 00:53:45,254
to a lot of people
in terms of like,
1070
00:53:45,355 --> 00:53:46,822
having people over.
1071
00:53:46,923 --> 00:53:50,392
And, so Facebook was
how most people knew
1072
00:53:50,493 --> 00:53:52,261
what was happening
in their lives.
1073
00:53:52,362 --> 00:53:54,163
And Jen was
pretty active and posting,
1074
00:53:54,264 --> 00:53:56,098
and, so it seemed like
1075
00:53:56,199 --> 00:53:59,068
they were happy, you know,
from what she would post.
1076
00:53:59,169 --> 00:54:02,738
Very well-curated display
of life.
1077
00:54:04,140 --> 00:54:05,941
[Dr. Joni] We can learn a lot
1078
00:54:06,042 --> 00:54:08,410
about a family or about a person
1079
00:54:08,511 --> 00:54:10,980
by how they use social media.
1080
00:54:11,081 --> 00:54:13,916
How often they use it to get
their emotional needs met,
1081
00:54:14,017 --> 00:54:15,718
how often do they interact
with other people,
1082
00:54:15,819 --> 00:54:18,487
what kind of pictures
do they post,
1083
00:54:18,622 --> 00:54:21,056
it tells us a lot
about their values,
1084
00:54:21,157 --> 00:54:22,591
and the things that are
important to them.
1085
00:54:23,827 --> 00:54:27,763
But when I look at Jen's post,
1086
00:54:27,864 --> 00:54:30,232
I see, based
on my professional experience,
1087
00:54:30,333 --> 00:54:32,368
based on my knowledge as a mom,
1088
00:54:32,469 --> 00:54:34,470
something doesn't seem right
1089
00:54:34,571 --> 00:54:38,073
in terms of how this person
is presenting this image.
1090
00:54:40,176 --> 00:54:42,645
[Irene] Devonte was
definitely the focus
1091
00:54:42,746 --> 00:54:44,813
of her Facebook page.
1092
00:54:45,915 --> 00:54:50,552
You never really saw
her post about... Markis.
1093
00:54:50,654 --> 00:54:55,391
Or Jeremiah, or Hannah or Ciera.
1094
00:54:55,525 --> 00:54:58,093
She may have mentioned
some interaction
1095
00:54:58,194 --> 00:55:02,164
that had to do with Devonte.
1096
00:55:02,265 --> 00:55:06,935
But the focus was very much
her talking about her son,
1097
00:55:07,037 --> 00:55:10,039
and how she saved him, you know?
1098
00:55:20,317 --> 00:55:22,051
[Dr. Joni] So, this is a post
that Jennifer made
1099
00:55:22,152 --> 00:55:26,155
on November the 8th, 2014.
1100
00:55:26,256 --> 00:55:28,624
"We were standing
in the grocery checkout line.
1101
00:55:28,725 --> 00:55:29,958
An elderly man was standing
1102
00:55:30,060 --> 00:55:31,827
at the end of the bagging area.
1103
00:55:31,928 --> 00:55:34,630
He spots our son,
looks him up and down."
1104
00:55:34,731 --> 00:55:36,365
"Man: I can tell you're going
1105
00:55:36,466 --> 00:55:38,367
to be a baseball player
when you grow up.
1106
00:55:38,468 --> 00:55:42,471
Son: Pauses, tilts his head
and gives a closed mouth grin.
1107
00:55:42,572 --> 00:55:45,941
"Actually, no. Baseball isn't
really my thing."
1108
00:55:46,042 --> 00:55:48,410
[Joni] " Man: Well, I can tell
you're gonna be a ball player."
1109
00:55:49,145 --> 00:55:50,379
As his mom, I can tell
1110
00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:52,848
there was a slight frustration
inside of him.
1111
00:55:52,916 --> 00:55:55,351
Checkout lady: Oh, I bet
you're gonna be a basketball
1112
00:55:55,452 --> 00:55:56,618
or soccer player then.
1113
00:55:57,420 --> 00:55:59,555
Son: No, I don't
play any sports.
1114
00:55:59,656 --> 00:56:02,191
It's just not my thing.
I just have other interests.
1115
00:56:03,293 --> 00:56:05,027
"Checkout lady, in a befuddled,
1116
00:56:05,161 --> 00:56:06,929
nearly astonished voice:
1117
00:56:07,030 --> 00:56:09,965
What? I have never met a kid
1118
00:56:10,033 --> 00:56:12,901
"that looks like you
that doesn't play sports."
1119
00:56:13,002 --> 00:56:15,604
We all know what she means
by "Looks like you."
1120
00:56:15,705 --> 00:56:19,441
"Man chuckling: Right?
Never. They all do!"
1121
00:56:21,378 --> 00:56:24,012
"It was so obviously clear
what was happening."
1122
00:56:24,114 --> 00:56:26,782
While I wanted so badly
to step in and protect my son
1123
00:56:26,883 --> 00:56:29,952
from the ongoing
racial stereotyping, I didn't.
1124
00:56:30,053 --> 00:56:31,954
[Zaron] I let him step
into his own power
1125
00:56:32,055 --> 00:56:34,390
and he handled it brilliantly.
1126
00:56:34,491 --> 00:56:36,625
The statement, "I let him step
into his own power" is
1127
00:56:36,726 --> 00:56:39,762
just gaggingly offensive.
Anyway.
1128
00:56:39,863 --> 00:56:42,931
"Man: Well, what do you wanna
be when you grow up?
1129
00:56:43,032 --> 00:56:44,767
"Son: I'm here to help people."
1130
00:56:44,868 --> 00:56:47,236
I'm here to inspire. Now.
1131
00:56:47,337 --> 00:56:49,071
"Man said, " What are
you gonna do
1132
00:56:49,172 --> 00:56:50,706
to help and inspire people?"
1133
00:56:50,807 --> 00:56:53,041
[Zaron] " Son: I'm going to be myself."
1134
00:56:53,143 --> 00:56:56,078
No matter how much people try
to make me something I'm not."
1135
00:56:56,179 --> 00:56:57,279
[in unison] "Have
a great night."
1136
00:56:57,380 --> 00:56:59,448
"Flashes ginormous smile."
1137
00:56:59,549 --> 00:57:01,016
I think this kid will
be all right.
1138
00:57:01,117 --> 00:57:02,584
No matter what is tossed at him.
1139
00:57:03,887 --> 00:57:05,788
The irony is
that he will not be all right
1140
00:57:05,889 --> 00:57:07,222
because you were tossed at him.
1141
00:57:16,266 --> 00:57:20,235
Here's a post from Jen,
dated November 13th, 2014.
1142
00:57:20,904 --> 00:57:22,237
"I share stories, photos,"
1143
00:57:22,338 --> 00:57:24,339
and experiences
of our family often.
1144
00:57:24,441 --> 00:57:25,641
I would never have expected
1145
00:57:25,742 --> 00:57:27,276
that one
of my most recent posts would
1146
00:57:27,377 --> 00:57:29,011
impact people the way it has
1147
00:57:29,112 --> 00:57:32,080
and find its way
to the Huffington Post.
1148
00:57:32,182 --> 00:57:35,217
Meet Devonte: The little boy
with a big heart.
1149
00:57:35,285 --> 00:57:37,453
A young boy who was
born into a life of drugs,
1150
00:57:37,554 --> 00:57:39,688
extreme poverty, danger,
1151
00:57:39,789 --> 00:57:41,623
and destined for a bleak future,
1152
00:57:41,724 --> 00:57:44,193
is defying stereotypes
in the most remarkable way.
1153
00:57:54,904 --> 00:57:57,406
"Devonte Hart entered
the world 12 years ago"
1154
00:57:57,507 --> 00:58:00,843
with drugs pumping through
his tiny newborn body.
1155
00:58:00,944 --> 00:58:02,911
By the time
he was four years old,
1156
00:58:03,012 --> 00:58:05,347
he had smoked, consumed alcohol,
1157
00:58:05,448 --> 00:58:07,850
handled guns, been shot at,
1158
00:58:07,984 --> 00:58:10,152
"and suffered
severe abuse and neglect."
1159
00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:13,655
[Shonda] I remember
reading an article
1160
00:58:13,756 --> 00:58:16,658
with the adopted mom saying
that she remembered
1161
00:58:16,759 --> 00:58:19,094
Devonte being shot at,
and that was a complete lie.
1162
00:58:20,129 --> 00:58:21,730
Show me the paperwork
here in Houston
1163
00:58:21,831 --> 00:58:23,232
where someone said that.
1164
00:58:23,967 --> 00:58:25,200
"It was a life of little hope
1165
00:58:25,301 --> 00:58:27,569
and a future that seemed over
before it began."
1166
00:58:29,939 --> 00:58:36,745
[reading]
1167
00:58:38,481 --> 00:58:41,083
[Zaron] So,
the Huffington Post story,
1168
00:58:41,184 --> 00:58:42,551
all this stuff that's presented
1169
00:58:42,652 --> 00:58:44,853
as if it were documented fact,
1170
00:58:44,921 --> 00:58:47,322
these are all things
that Jen reported.
1171
00:58:48,324 --> 00:58:50,259
She says, "When we adopted him,
1172
00:58:50,360 --> 00:58:52,160
he only knew [bleep] and [bleep]
1173
00:58:52,262 --> 00:58:54,696
And he struggled to identify
with the names of foods,
1174
00:58:54,797 --> 00:58:56,098
body parts
and everyday objects."
1175
00:58:56,199 --> 00:59:00,702
Those are literally quotes
from Jen from the CPS report.
1176
00:59:01,804 --> 00:59:03,805
[Shonda] Again, she tells
this story.
1177
00:59:03,907 --> 00:59:06,074
Miss Celestine never
told me that about Devonte.
1178
00:59:06,743 --> 00:59:08,443
So he must have digressed
1179
00:59:08,545 --> 00:59:10,512
from the time that he left her.
1180
00:59:11,180 --> 00:59:14,182
I mean... that's ridiculous.
1181
00:59:15,885 --> 00:59:18,387
[Zaron] Jen figured out that
if she puts forth a narrative,
1182
00:59:18,488 --> 00:59:20,055
somebody else will pick it up
and repeat it,
1183
00:59:20,156 --> 00:59:21,123
and if someone else repeats it,
1184
00:59:21,224 --> 00:59:23,225
then she can say,
"You know what they said."
1185
00:59:24,827 --> 00:59:26,628
[Dr. Joni] On the surface
it looks like,
1186
00:59:26,729 --> 00:59:28,697
"Oh, it's all about my kid."
1187
00:59:29,265 --> 00:59:30,699
But, between the lines,
1188
00:59:30,800 --> 00:59:32,634
there is
just this constant theme,
1189
00:59:32,735 --> 00:59:34,937
that "If it wasn't for us,
1190
00:59:35,038 --> 00:59:37,940
this kid would've ended up
who knows where."
1191
00:59:38,041 --> 00:59:41,777
So what seems to be a story
about Devonte
1192
00:59:41,878 --> 00:59:43,812
is really a story about Jen.
1193
00:59:46,349 --> 00:59:48,450
[Niema] In hindsight,
it definitely looks like
1194
00:59:48,551 --> 00:59:50,619
they were painting this picture
1195
00:59:50,720 --> 00:59:52,421
of themselves as heroes,
1196
00:59:52,522 --> 00:59:55,857
and these children
as very sad victims...
1197
00:59:57,093 --> 00:59:58,927
that needed to be rescued.
1198
01:00:00,897 --> 01:00:02,230
[Zaron] She's using Facebook
1199
01:00:02,332 --> 01:00:04,299
just like an advertiser
or a marketer,
1200
01:00:05,735 --> 01:00:08,470
and she's selling
white saviorhood.
1201
01:00:09,505 --> 01:00:11,807
But she doesn't
care about the kids.
1202
01:00:11,908 --> 01:00:14,142
She just wants the likes
and the dopamine hit.
1203
01:00:15,645 --> 01:00:17,813
She's hurting
all of these people for that.
1204
01:00:26,055 --> 01:00:29,992
[Dr. Joni] Family annihilation
is the most common form
1205
01:00:30,093 --> 01:00:31,660
of mass murder.
1206
01:00:31,761 --> 01:00:35,330
But it is
an incredibly difficult event
1207
01:00:35,431 --> 01:00:37,666
to predict,
because it is so rare.
1208
01:00:39,636 --> 01:00:41,603
I've been asked before,
"Is there a personality
1209
01:00:41,704 --> 01:00:43,205
of the family annihilator?"
And we know the answer
1210
01:00:43,306 --> 01:00:45,040
to that question is "No."
1211
01:00:46,309 --> 01:00:48,377
But there are some commonalities
1212
01:00:48,478 --> 01:00:50,012
that we sometimes find.
1213
01:00:51,247 --> 01:00:53,048
There's, often times, a history
1214
01:00:53,149 --> 01:00:55,317
of undiagnosed depression.
1215
01:00:55,418 --> 01:00:57,953
People who commit
family annihilation,
1216
01:00:58,054 --> 01:01:02,891
often times have
a strong need for status,
1217
01:01:03,593 --> 01:01:05,961
and for attention.
1218
01:01:06,062 --> 01:01:09,064
Then sometimes you have
this black-and-white thinking,
1219
01:01:09,165 --> 01:01:13,535
"meaning "If you're not
my friend, you're my enemy.
1220
01:01:13,636 --> 01:01:16,638
If things aren't good,
they're horrible."
1221
01:01:16,739 --> 01:01:19,641
And then,
almost always, you have
1222
01:01:19,742 --> 01:01:21,276
an environmental trigger.
1223
01:01:22,812 --> 01:01:26,515
Something happens that isn't
responsible at all
1224
01:01:26,616 --> 01:01:27,849
for what happens,
1225
01:01:27,950 --> 01:01:30,252
but it becomes a precipitant.
1226
01:01:35,558 --> 01:01:38,060
[reporter] A few minutes ago,
the grand jury deliberating
1227
01:01:38,161 --> 01:01:40,395
the death of Michael Brown
issued its decision.
1228
01:01:40,496 --> 01:01:43,665
[newsreader] The Grand Jury
will not indict Darren Wilson.
1229
01:01:43,766 --> 01:01:46,034
He's the white police officer
who shot and killed
1230
01:01:46,135 --> 01:01:48,870
the young, unarmed black man
Michael Brown in August.
1231
01:01:48,971 --> 01:01:51,540
[newsreader 2] The Grand Jury
decision set off outrage
1232
01:01:51,641 --> 01:01:55,110
in communities not only
throughout St. Louis,
1233
01:01:55,211 --> 01:01:56,778
but across the country.
1234
01:02:02,185 --> 01:02:05,087
[Niema] I remember when
that hug image first appeared
1235
01:02:05,188 --> 01:02:07,889
on media, and how quickly
it became viral,
1236
01:02:07,990 --> 01:02:11,293
and learned that it'd become
kind of national news.
1237
01:02:11,394 --> 01:02:13,862
That was an iconic
and beautiful image
1238
01:02:13,963 --> 01:02:15,931
and spoke to a hope
1239
01:02:16,032 --> 01:02:18,767
that we were feeling
at that time.
1240
01:02:18,868 --> 01:02:20,335
As someone around here
said today,
1241
01:02:20,436 --> 01:02:21,603
what the world needs now might
1242
01:02:21,704 --> 01:02:23,371
just be what we see
in this photo.
1243
01:02:24,540 --> 01:02:28,577
I originally saw Devonte
in that picture
1244
01:02:28,678 --> 01:02:30,512
with that cop on the news.
1245
01:02:30,613 --> 01:02:32,347
And I couldn't believe my eyes.
1246
01:02:32,448 --> 01:02:34,382
It was Devonte on the TV.
1247
01:02:35,718 --> 01:02:37,853
And he's hugging a cop
in this picture,
1248
01:02:37,954 --> 01:02:39,755
and I'm like, thinking,
1249
01:02:39,856 --> 01:02:41,289
"Oh, my Gosh, maybe he'll
1250
01:02:41,390 --> 01:02:43,425
be a part
of something really profound,
1251
01:02:43,526 --> 01:02:46,428
with everything that's
happening with the protests."
1252
01:02:46,529 --> 01:02:49,397
I could tell it was
meant to be like,
1253
01:02:49,499 --> 01:02:52,267
"Oh, this is this black boy
1254
01:02:52,368 --> 01:02:55,270
hugging this white cop
in this moment of solidarity."
1255
01:02:56,672 --> 01:03:00,175
But the look
on Devonte's face was mixed.
1256
01:03:00,276 --> 01:03:02,477
I don't know if he was sad
1257
01:03:02,578 --> 01:03:06,114
because of
all that had happened,
1258
01:03:06,215 --> 01:03:08,517
or the interaction he just
had with the police.
1259
01:03:09,752 --> 01:03:12,420
I remember, at the time,
seeing that photo
1260
01:03:12,522 --> 01:03:14,790
and not fully understanding
1261
01:03:14,891 --> 01:03:17,192
that there was a lot more
to this story than I knew.
1262
01:03:21,097 --> 01:03:22,864
[Zaron] When the photo was
taken of him hugging the cop,
1263
01:03:22,965 --> 01:03:25,400
there were two photographers,
both people of color,
1264
01:03:25,501 --> 01:03:27,969
who both noticed
the same exact scene,
1265
01:03:28,070 --> 01:03:30,338
and they commented on it saying,
1266
01:03:30,439 --> 01:03:32,908
one said that it was
clearly trauma.
1267
01:03:33,009 --> 01:03:35,243
Another said, "I don't know
what's going on in this photo,
1268
01:03:35,344 --> 01:03:36,845
but I'm gonna leave it
up to y'all to say
1269
01:03:36,946 --> 01:03:39,514
because this, to me,
looks like this ain't right."
1270
01:03:41,083 --> 01:03:43,351
[Niema] Understanding how much
of those children's lives were
1271
01:03:43,419 --> 01:03:46,421
staged and made into photo-ops,
1272
01:03:46,522 --> 01:03:48,790
I don't know that
that moment was
1273
01:03:48,891 --> 01:03:51,092
actually consensual for Devonte.
1274
01:03:51,194 --> 01:03:54,129
I don't know if he actually
wanted to hug that cop.
1275
01:03:56,299 --> 01:03:58,834
[Zaron] From what I've seen,
a lot of the friends were
1276
01:03:58,935 --> 01:03:59,835
very proud of the moment
1277
01:03:59,936 --> 01:04:01,636
because it went
so massively viral.
1278
01:04:01,737 --> 01:04:04,973
It was as if they were
friends with somebody
1279
01:04:05,074 --> 01:04:07,309
who was on the cutting edge
of protest culture,
1280
01:04:07,410 --> 01:04:08,977
which is what Jen wanted
it to be
1281
01:04:09,078 --> 01:04:10,679
and present herself as.
1282
01:04:12,014 --> 01:04:15,750
A leading non-political figure
of this hope and change idea
1283
01:04:15,852 --> 01:04:18,320
that America can move towards.
1284
01:04:18,421 --> 01:04:21,423
She takes all of that
and uses it for her,
1285
01:04:21,524 --> 01:04:24,359
and in doing so is rightfully
called out for it.
1286
01:04:30,967 --> 01:04:33,134
[Vanryckeghem] I was
just going on Facebook.
1287
01:04:33,236 --> 01:04:37,038
I looked,
and I found Jennifer's post,
1288
01:04:37,139 --> 01:04:43,311
and I remember being confused
and disappointed.
1289
01:04:43,412 --> 01:04:46,314
Even reading it now, I'm like,
1290
01:04:47,016 --> 01:04:49,217
"Who wrote this?"
1291
01:04:49,318 --> 01:04:51,486
"I understand many of you
have stumbled upon"
1292
01:04:51,587 --> 01:04:54,322
the darker side of media
as of late.
1293
01:04:54,423 --> 01:04:57,759
Things have been twisted
and used for various reasons.
1294
01:04:58,694 --> 01:04:59,861
I can't control that,
1295
01:04:59,962 --> 01:05:02,330
and I cannot allow that
to control me.
1296
01:05:03,666 --> 01:05:06,134
What other people think
is none of my business.
1297
01:05:06,235 --> 01:05:07,569
I know what really happened,
1298
01:05:07,670 --> 01:05:10,805
and how Devonte truly feels
about that encounter.
1299
01:05:11,908 --> 01:05:14,509
"And that's all
that matters to us."
1300
01:05:18,247 --> 01:05:21,650
She dismisses claims that
she is basically hijacking
1301
01:05:21,717 --> 01:05:22,951
the Black Lives Matter movement,
1302
01:05:23,052 --> 01:05:25,987
that she is hijacking the
Ferguson protest and the energy
1303
01:05:26,088 --> 01:05:29,291
that going into calling
attention to systemic racism
1304
01:05:29,392 --> 01:05:30,992
and abuse in America.
1305
01:05:32,495 --> 01:05:36,398
People then, as they start
to, in her words, attack her,
1306
01:05:36,499 --> 01:05:40,936
she defends herself by
presenting it as their wrong,
1307
01:05:41,037 --> 01:05:42,437
they don't understand.
1308
01:05:42,538 --> 01:05:44,139
These are haters
that are coming after me
1309
01:05:44,240 --> 01:05:45,540
because we're lesbian moms
1310
01:05:45,641 --> 01:05:47,943
with our adopted black children.
1311
01:05:48,044 --> 01:05:51,413
She's both, dismissed
the claims that are rightful
1312
01:05:51,514 --> 01:05:54,349
and made herself sympathetic
by playing the victim.
1313
01:05:56,352 --> 01:05:59,888
[Vanryckeghem] It does really seem like
she was just protecting her own agenda,
1314
01:05:59,989 --> 01:06:02,691
and no one or anything else
but that.
1315
01:06:02,792 --> 01:06:06,628
It must have been a trigger
for her to get so much attention,
1316
01:06:06,729 --> 01:06:09,698
when she knew that she
was living a double life,
1317
01:06:09,799 --> 01:06:12,534
and that it couldn't be
something that she could maintain
1318
01:06:12,635 --> 01:06:15,036
if people really started
peering into their lives
1319
01:06:15,137 --> 01:06:17,205
and wanting to know a lot more.
1320
01:06:17,306 --> 01:06:21,977
So she probably had
no other choice
1321
01:06:22,078 --> 01:06:25,313
but to shut everything down
and withdraw.
1322
01:06:25,414 --> 01:06:28,984
[Burnett] The virality that she
was chasing after ruined the thing.
1323
01:06:29,085 --> 01:06:33,621
It, basically, compromised Jen's
ability to control the narrative.
1324
01:06:33,723 --> 01:06:35,557
So, once the narrative
escaped her clutches,
1325
01:06:35,658 --> 01:06:37,292
she left
and created a new narrative.
1326
01:06:55,244 --> 01:06:58,446
[Bunch] In 2016, I met Jen
1327
01:06:58,547 --> 01:07:01,783
in the highly competitive
gaming community.
1328
01:07:03,386 --> 01:07:06,388
We were part
of this team of players
1329
01:07:06,489 --> 01:07:08,523
dedicated to a specific game.
1330
01:07:08,624 --> 01:07:14,062
And you're all working
to destroy every other team
1331
01:07:14,163 --> 01:07:16,131
and move up the rankings.
1332
01:07:16,232 --> 01:07:19,768
And we were
the second-ranked team,
1333
01:07:19,869 --> 01:07:21,603
and this is worldwide.
1334
01:07:24,206 --> 01:07:28,610
Jen was the co-leader
of that 50-member team,
1335
01:07:28,711 --> 01:07:33,114
so she's keeping track
of scores for 50 players.
1336
01:07:33,182 --> 01:07:37,118
She is checking to see if people
are maintaining those scores.
1337
01:07:38,521 --> 01:07:41,456
In the team chat,
she kept it lively.
1338
01:07:41,557 --> 01:07:44,793
Anything to, like,
keep everyone motivated.
1339
01:07:44,894 --> 01:07:46,861
For her,
it was clearly a passion
1340
01:07:46,962 --> 01:07:48,763
to maintain that sense of unity,
1341
01:07:48,864 --> 01:07:50,565
and she did
a great job out of it.
1342
01:07:52,334 --> 01:07:54,769
[Johnston]
After this picture goes viral,
1343
01:07:54,870 --> 01:07:58,339
we find Jen going
to the gaming community,
1344
01:07:58,441 --> 01:08:01,176
which really does
provide her a forum,
1345
01:08:01,277 --> 01:08:04,679
where she can again share
pictures and posts of her family.
1346
01:08:04,780 --> 01:08:07,749
She can also get a ton of status
1347
01:08:07,850 --> 01:08:09,551
and a ton of affirmation.
1348
01:08:10,553 --> 01:08:12,087
[Bunch]
You're spending many hours
1349
01:08:12,188 --> 01:08:14,289
with the team members every day,
1350
01:08:14,390 --> 01:08:17,759
exchanging photos and
talking about your careers,
1351
01:08:17,860 --> 01:08:22,263
and so it really does become
a family in a sense.
1352
01:08:26,502 --> 01:08:31,239
Jen moved to Washington
early summer, in 2017.
1353
01:08:32,274 --> 01:08:35,110
I remember, she shared
photos of the house,
1354
01:08:35,211 --> 01:08:38,246
pictures of the kids in the
new house with chickens,
1355
01:08:39,048 --> 01:08:41,749
painting the new living room.
1356
01:08:41,851 --> 01:08:44,119
The kids are all happy,
she's happy.
1357
01:08:46,689 --> 01:08:49,591
I never saw a sign ever, ever
1358
01:08:49,692 --> 01:08:53,628
that they were
anything but great.
1359
01:08:57,833 --> 01:08:59,167
[911 operator speaking]
1360
01:08:59,235 --> 01:09:04,506
[man speaking]
1361
01:09:04,607 --> 01:09:07,341
[man speaking]
1362
01:09:07,409 --> 01:09:09,010
[911 operator speaking]
1363
01:09:09,812 --> 01:09:16,084
[man speaking]
1364
01:09:16,185 --> 01:09:19,420
[man speaking]
1365
01:09:19,522 --> 01:09:21,990
[man speaking]
1366
01:09:22,091 --> 01:09:24,025
[911 operator speaking]
1367
01:09:24,126 --> 01:09:28,997
[man speaking]
1368
01:09:42,111 --> 01:09:45,880
[Beck] Dana DeKalb's
father called 911,
1369
01:09:45,981 --> 01:09:49,050
and he told a shocking story
1370
01:09:49,151 --> 01:09:52,153
about a child coming to their
house in the middle of the night
1371
01:09:52,254 --> 01:09:54,155
and asking to be hidden
in the house.
1372
01:09:54,957 --> 01:09:57,258
[doorbell ringing]
1373
01:09:57,359 --> 01:10:00,662
[Bruce] It was 1:30 in the
morning, and I went to the front door,
1374
01:10:00,763 --> 01:10:03,064
and here's this girl
standing there,
1375
01:10:03,165 --> 01:10:05,800
and she comes
bolting in the house.
1376
01:10:05,901 --> 01:10:07,835
Ran upstairs,
and went into the bedroom,
1377
01:10:07,937 --> 01:10:09,837
and started shaking Dana.
1378
01:10:09,939 --> 01:10:13,174
[Dana] She pounced on me
frantic and begging, you know.
1379
01:10:13,275 --> 01:10:16,511
"Take me to Seattle.
Don't make me go back there.
1380
01:10:16,612 --> 01:10:18,880
They are racist,
they are abusive,"
1381
01:10:18,981 --> 01:10:20,748
and we're just like going,
"Whoa!"
1382
01:10:22,918 --> 01:10:25,353
[Beck] A short while later,
they heard the rest of the family,
1383
01:10:25,454 --> 01:10:28,323
Jen and Sarah and the rest of the
children, outside calling for Hannah.
1384
01:10:29,425 --> 01:10:31,492
Eventually,
they went into the house
1385
01:10:31,594 --> 01:10:34,295
and gave an explanation
for Hannah's behavior.
1386
01:10:35,931 --> 01:10:39,567
[Dana] Sarah never spoke.
Jennifer did all the talking.
1387
01:10:39,668 --> 01:10:44,038
And she said that, you know,
Hannah struggles, she has some issues.
1388
01:10:44,139 --> 01:10:49,043
It's been a rough week, and she's
going through all kinds of turmoil.
1389
01:10:49,144 --> 01:10:51,079
And they were drug babies,
1390
01:10:51,180 --> 01:10:52,814
and so the kids struggle.
1391
01:10:55,184 --> 01:10:57,719
I was all prepared
to call the cops,
1392
01:10:58,520 --> 01:11:02,090
but she, she sold it well.
1393
01:11:05,928 --> 01:11:09,998
They ended up
back at our doorbell at 6:30.
1394
01:11:10,099 --> 01:11:13,434
Hannah handed us a note
saying how sorry she was
1395
01:11:13,535 --> 01:11:16,804
that she had told us some
things that weren't really true.
1396
01:11:16,905 --> 01:11:18,406
It's just that she had
a really bad week,
1397
01:11:18,507 --> 01:11:20,675
and she wanted to apologize
for bothering us.
1398
01:11:22,344 --> 01:11:24,712
Before they left, I asked if I could
have a word with just Hannah,
1399
01:11:24,813 --> 01:11:27,081
and they said, "No. We
do everything as a family."
1400
01:11:40,863 --> 01:11:44,432
[Bunch] Jen was
the most fun-loving person
1401
01:11:44,533 --> 01:11:49,837
until you violated
one of her rules.
1402
01:11:50,906 --> 01:11:53,441
Oftentimes, these rules
weren't spoken rules,
1403
01:11:53,542 --> 01:11:57,245
these were just the way
she wanted things to be done.
1404
01:12:00,649 --> 01:12:04,619
[Hart] There was an
occasion that I was at the store,
1405
01:12:05,220 --> 01:12:07,855
and we get a call.
1406
01:12:07,956 --> 01:12:10,958
I answered the phone, and there
was a woman on the other end,
1407
01:12:11,060 --> 01:12:13,494
and she asked
to speak with Sarah Hart.
1408
01:12:14,596 --> 01:12:17,799
So I told her, "One moment."
I put her on hold.
1409
01:12:18,600 --> 01:12:20,635
"Sarah," I said, "It's for you."
1410
01:12:20,736 --> 01:12:24,639
And she got
a panicked look on her face,
1411
01:12:24,740 --> 01:12:26,774
and she looked at her watch,
1412
01:12:26,875 --> 01:12:29,243
and she went, "Oh, [bleep]."
1413
01:12:30,979 --> 01:12:34,816
And she ran into an office
and slammed the door.
1414
01:12:36,418 --> 01:12:40,388
About ten minutes later,
she came out of the office,
1415
01:12:40,489 --> 01:12:43,491
and I had jokingly said,
you know, "What did you do?"
1416
01:12:45,060 --> 01:12:49,964
And she told me that she did not
1417
01:12:50,766 --> 01:12:53,801
play her part in a game.
1418
01:12:55,771 --> 01:13:00,441
She said that Jen
was very upset with her,
1419
01:13:00,542 --> 01:13:02,210
to the point that Jen had said
1420
01:13:02,311 --> 01:13:04,212
if Sarah wasn't going
to support her,
1421
01:13:04,313 --> 01:13:05,813
she might as well
just kill herself.
1422
01:13:07,282 --> 01:13:10,818
Because it was all she had to
look forward to, was this game.
1423
01:13:14,156 --> 01:13:18,693
Sarah was very worried
about Jen,
1424
01:13:18,794 --> 01:13:22,797
because Jen was depressed
and withdrawn.
1425
01:13:22,898 --> 01:13:26,868
Sarah would constantly have to
be, you know, calming her down.
1426
01:13:28,203 --> 01:13:32,540
I think Sarah was the buffer
between the kids and Jen,
1427
01:13:33,475 --> 01:13:35,943
like the battered
spouse would, you know.
1428
01:13:39,181 --> 01:13:43,551
In this family, there was
a tremendous amount of stress
1429
01:13:43,652 --> 01:13:44,986
going on at home.
1430
01:13:46,622 --> 01:13:48,856
I don't know
what that stress was,
1431
01:13:48,957 --> 01:13:51,793
but we do know that
things were getting worse.
1432
01:13:52,995 --> 01:13:56,631
The only evidence we have
are these kids,
1433
01:13:56,732 --> 01:13:59,167
who are desperately
trying to get help.
1434
01:14:13,449 --> 01:14:16,651
So, the very first night
was on Thursday night.
1435
01:14:16,752 --> 01:14:19,854
The next morning, he was
here again at 9:00 am, asking,
1436
01:14:19,955 --> 01:14:21,556
"Do you have any bread?"
1437
01:14:22,591 --> 01:14:26,027
So I said, "No.
But I have those tortillas."
1438
01:14:26,128 --> 01:14:28,563
That's when he started saying
could we put it by the fence.
1439
01:14:30,232 --> 01:14:31,933
[Beck] While speaking
with Dana and Bruce,
1440
01:14:32,034 --> 01:14:35,803
they mentioned that Devonte had
provided them a list of food items,
1441
01:14:35,904 --> 01:14:39,740
and had mentioned that his parents
were withholding food from them.
1442
01:14:39,842 --> 01:14:42,610
And he was asking
Dana and Bruce to get food,
1443
01:14:42,711 --> 01:14:44,712
so that he could share it
with his brothers and sisters.
1444
01:14:47,616 --> 01:14:50,284
[Dana] The first night,
I didn't think anything.
1445
01:14:50,385 --> 01:14:52,119
But then, when he
came back Friday night,
1446
01:14:52,221 --> 01:14:55,189
it's like, "Wait a minute. I just
gave you, like, thirty tortillas."
1447
01:14:55,290 --> 01:14:57,925
One time, he asked us for
six jars of peanut butter.
1448
01:14:58,026 --> 01:15:00,194
- [Bruce] Yeah, peanut butter.
- [Dena] When he asked for peanut butter,
1449
01:15:00,295 --> 01:15:04,031
I was like,
"This is, like, staples.
1450
01:15:04,132 --> 01:15:06,734
They're not getting
enough to eat."
1451
01:15:06,835 --> 01:15:10,137
Every time he came, he
did divulge more information
1452
01:15:10,239 --> 01:15:12,406
as he became more comfortable.
1453
01:15:12,508 --> 01:15:15,576
And that's when we learned
that they had been abusing them,
1454
01:15:15,677 --> 01:15:18,513
and they were withholding food
for days at a time.
1455
01:15:18,614 --> 01:15:21,148
And he said Sarah used
to not go along with it,
1456
01:15:21,250 --> 01:15:22,683
but she is now.
1457
01:15:24,686 --> 01:15:27,221
At the exact moment that
Devonte was going to spend
1458
01:15:27,322 --> 01:15:31,192
the next eight, nine days
asking repeatedly for food,
1459
01:15:31,293 --> 01:15:34,395
she's on Facebook celebrating.
1460
01:15:34,496 --> 01:15:38,299
"I am a better human in every
possible way for knowing these children.
1461
01:15:38,400 --> 01:15:40,535
They have been
my greatest teachers.
1462
01:15:40,602 --> 01:15:42,303
I couldn't be more in awe
of all the people
1463
01:15:42,404 --> 01:15:45,373
that chose to celebrate
this life with us.
1464
01:15:45,474 --> 01:15:47,141
Thousands of people
that have shared a hug,
1465
01:15:47,242 --> 01:15:50,378
a dance, a story, a laugh, a meal,
a cry, a word of encouragement,
1466
01:15:50,479 --> 01:15:51,913
a smile, a song,
1467
01:15:53,282 --> 01:15:57,485
"thank your for exemplifying
the true meaning of family."
1468
01:15:57,586 --> 01:15:59,387
She's arranging a collage
of their love
1469
01:15:59,488 --> 01:16:01,255
while denying them
food, actively,
1470
01:16:01,356 --> 01:16:03,558
to the point that they are
begging strangers for food.
1471
01:16:13,969 --> 01:16:17,405
[Dana] That Thursday
is when he had told us
1472
01:16:17,472 --> 01:16:20,541
that everything
Hannah told you was true.
1473
01:16:20,642 --> 01:16:23,778
And I said, "Okay. So, why
did she run away that night?"
1474
01:16:23,879 --> 01:16:26,180
And he said, "'Cause my
mom was abusing her."
1475
01:16:27,816 --> 01:16:32,019
I just felt like, "Okay, now I have
enough to get somebody's attention."
1476
01:16:46,635 --> 01:16:48,035
[reporter]
Worried for the children,
1477
01:16:48,136 --> 01:16:50,104
the DeKalbs called
state CPS officials,
1478
01:16:50,205 --> 01:16:52,406
who visited
the home again on Friday,
1479
01:16:52,507 --> 01:16:54,775
but, apparently,
no one answered the door.
1480
01:16:54,876 --> 01:16:58,245
The next morning, when we
saw that the vehicle was gone,
1481
01:16:58,347 --> 01:17:02,149
and then, Sunday morning,
when it still wasn't there,
1482
01:17:02,250 --> 01:17:04,452
we figured there was something.
1483
01:17:04,553 --> 01:17:06,487
[reporter] Then, on Monday,
the DeKalbs heard about
1484
01:17:06,588 --> 01:17:09,223
the horrific crash
in California.
1485
01:17:11,326 --> 01:17:14,295
[Allman] I think the
moms were on a mission.
1486
01:17:14,396 --> 01:17:18,265
And whether or not their mission
originally was Mendocino County,
1487
01:17:18,367 --> 01:17:19,400
I don't know the answer to that.
1488
01:17:21,570 --> 01:17:25,439
But, in my heart, I believe
their mission was death.
1489
01:17:28,276 --> 01:17:30,778
This was a one-way journey
as soon as they left.
1490
01:17:42,724 --> 01:17:45,393
New details tonight.
Human remains have been found
1491
01:17:45,494 --> 01:17:47,194
near a cliff
in Mendocino County,
1492
01:17:47,295 --> 01:17:49,830
the site of a horrible
family tragedy.
1493
01:17:54,770 --> 01:17:57,638
[Bartley]
May 9th, I come to work.
1494
01:17:57,739 --> 01:18:01,509
There's buzz about the fact
that there was, uh, some
1495
01:18:02,511 --> 01:18:04,445
remains recovered on the beach.
1496
01:18:06,048 --> 01:18:08,249
A pair of blue jeans,
1497
01:18:08,350 --> 01:18:10,918
and a hiking boot style shoe,
1498
01:18:11,019 --> 01:18:13,287
and then, inside,
there was a sock.
1499
01:18:13,388 --> 01:18:16,123
[reporter] Hannah Hart and
her 15-year-old brother Devonte
1500
01:18:16,224 --> 01:18:19,427
are still listed as missing
after that crash.
1501
01:18:19,528 --> 01:18:21,062
I was told
at the coroner's office
1502
01:18:21,163 --> 01:18:25,700
that they could see
some bones within the sock.
1503
01:18:25,801 --> 01:18:29,303
And upon really looking
at the jeans,
1504
01:18:30,372 --> 01:18:32,106
we located the letter "H"
1505
01:18:33,108 --> 01:18:36,744
written in ink on the label.
1506
01:18:36,845 --> 01:18:40,781
So we were pretty confident that we
had recovered something of Hannah.
1507
01:18:52,294 --> 01:18:56,097
As the days rolled on,
we realized that
1508
01:18:56,198 --> 01:18:59,200
the ocean
had... had claimed Devonte,
1509
01:19:01,737 --> 01:19:04,805
and that we weren't
going to get him back.
1510
01:19:04,906 --> 01:19:08,809
And there wasn't going to be
any amount of searchin'
1511
01:19:08,910 --> 01:19:10,878
that we could do to change that.
1512
01:19:16,918 --> 01:19:20,287
[Allman] In California, in
the vast majority of counties,
1513
01:19:20,388 --> 01:19:23,324
the Sheriff is also the coroner.
1514
01:19:23,425 --> 01:19:26,260
Our responsibilities
are very legal,
1515
01:19:26,361 --> 01:19:28,429
in black and white,
1516
01:19:28,530 --> 01:19:31,966
to determine the cause of
death and the manner of death.
1517
01:19:32,067 --> 01:19:36,237
The cause of death could
be asphyxiation, drowning,
1518
01:19:36,338 --> 01:19:38,139
and the manner of death
is going to be
1519
01:19:38,240 --> 01:19:41,575
what actually caused that death.
1520
01:19:41,676 --> 01:19:44,545
Suicide, homicide,
accidental, natural.
1521
01:19:45,714 --> 01:19:48,249
Certainly,
I could have determined
1522
01:19:48,350 --> 01:19:50,151
that this was
a driving accident.
1523
01:19:50,252 --> 01:19:52,319
And we could have filed
the death certificates,
1524
01:19:52,420 --> 01:19:53,287
and that would've been it.
1525
01:19:54,289 --> 01:19:56,357
But I didn't want to do that.
1526
01:19:56,458 --> 01:19:58,659
I wanted the facts to be known.
1527
01:19:58,760 --> 01:20:03,430
I didn't want history to judge
this as an accident if it wasn't,
1528
01:20:03,532 --> 01:20:06,500
and I didn't want history to
judge this as a crime if it wasn't.
1529
01:20:07,669 --> 01:20:11,372
So I decided to have
the coroner's inquest.
1530
01:20:12,908 --> 01:20:15,276
- [man 1] We're set.
- [man 2] Thank you.
1531
01:20:15,377 --> 01:20:17,378
Good morning.
We are on the record.
1532
01:20:20,282 --> 01:20:23,350
[Guichard] This matter
is a formal coroner's inquest,
1533
01:20:23,451 --> 01:20:26,453
and it is an inquiry
into the death
1534
01:20:26,555 --> 01:20:28,889
and deaths of eight individuals.
1535
01:20:32,260 --> 01:20:36,463
It's... like a criminal jury,
you have citizen jurors
1536
01:20:36,565 --> 01:20:38,566
that listen to all the evidence,
1537
01:20:38,667 --> 01:20:43,771
and they make a determination
about the manner of death.
1538
01:20:43,872 --> 01:20:45,606
As I've indicated,
1539
01:20:45,707 --> 01:20:49,677
a coroner's inquest is
designed to put out into the open
1540
01:20:49,778 --> 01:20:52,446
the circumstance
of a death or deaths.
1541
01:20:53,949 --> 01:20:54,982
[Allman] If the jury comes back
1542
01:20:55,083 --> 01:20:57,184
that it's a traffic accident,
no worries.
1543
01:20:57,919 --> 01:21:00,287
All I wanted was the truth.
1544
01:21:00,388 --> 01:21:03,724
And if the law says that
a jury can determine truth,
1545
01:21:04,426 --> 01:21:05,759
I'll hang my head on that.
1546
01:21:07,596 --> 01:21:13,334
April 3rd, of 2019, a year
and a week after the incident,
1547
01:21:14,269 --> 01:21:17,171
the initial presentation
started.
1548
01:21:17,272 --> 01:21:21,809
By mid-afternoon on the 4th,
final arguments were given.
1549
01:21:22,811 --> 01:21:26,680
The jury went out,
and they came back
1550
01:21:26,781 --> 01:21:29,183
with a verdict
that wasn't a surprise to me.
1551
01:21:29,284 --> 01:21:36,156
And with respect
to Abigail Hart, Markis Hart,
1552
01:21:36,258 --> 01:21:39,393
Jeremiah Hart, Sierra Hart,
1553
01:21:39,494 --> 01:21:43,330
Hannah Hart, Devonte Hart,
1554
01:21:43,431 --> 01:21:47,501
the finding is, at the hands of
another other than by accident.
1555
01:21:50,805 --> 01:21:54,475
Sarah Hart,
the finding is, suicide.
1556
01:21:54,576 --> 01:21:58,279
Jennifer Hart,
the finding is, suicide.
1557
01:22:01,850 --> 01:22:05,519
[Allman] They list the cause of
death for six of them as homicide,
1558
01:22:06,588 --> 01:22:08,222
and two of them, suicide.
1559
01:22:08,757 --> 01:22:11,825
And I...
1560
01:22:11,927 --> 01:22:15,529
In my heart, I believe
that's the absolute truth.
1561
01:22:25,473 --> 01:22:27,541
The question
that bothered me most,
1562
01:22:28,977 --> 01:22:31,478
how did we allow this to happen?
1563
01:22:31,579 --> 01:22:33,047
And I'm talking about
"we" as society.
1564
01:22:35,350 --> 01:22:38,719
You have a parent
that went above and beyond
1565
01:22:38,820 --> 01:22:41,422
what was reasonable
in disciplining a child,
1566
01:22:41,523 --> 01:22:43,991
and you even charge them.
1567
01:22:44,092 --> 01:22:46,994
And you get to the end
of every one of these reports,
1568
01:22:47,095 --> 01:22:50,130
and they say the same thing,
"insufficient evidence."
1569
01:22:50,231 --> 01:22:52,032
What evidence did you need?
1570
01:22:52,133 --> 01:22:54,234
What did you need to see
1571
01:22:54,336 --> 01:22:58,172
to know that these kids
needed some protection?
1572
01:22:59,574 --> 01:23:02,042
[Williams]
This case is not unique.
1573
01:23:02,143 --> 01:23:05,646
I'm sure that there are hundreds
of cases around this country
1574
01:23:05,747 --> 01:23:08,182
that are being handled
in the same manner.
1575
01:23:08,283 --> 01:23:10,684
And what I would like to see
1576
01:23:10,752 --> 01:23:13,654
is more accountability
1577
01:23:13,755 --> 01:23:16,156
to ensure that
these children are placed
1578
01:23:16,257 --> 01:23:20,928
in a safe, nurturing,
home environment.
1579
01:23:24,766 --> 01:23:29,770
[Allman] We have a national
database that reports mental illness,
1580
01:23:29,871 --> 01:23:33,040
we have a national database
for criminal histories,
1581
01:23:33,141 --> 01:23:36,043
we also have a national
database for gun registration,
1582
01:23:36,144 --> 01:23:39,546
we do not have a national
database for child abuse allegations.
1583
01:23:41,049 --> 01:23:43,984
I'm not going to say that if
we had a national database,
1584
01:23:44,085 --> 01:23:45,819
that the Hart family
would still be alive.
1585
01:23:45,920 --> 01:23:49,023
But, certainly, there would have
been more of an investigation
1586
01:23:49,124 --> 01:23:52,326
to find out if the adoptions
had been appropriate,
1587
01:23:52,427 --> 01:23:54,962
or if CPS should be a little bit
more involved than what they are.
1588
01:23:59,901 --> 01:24:02,770
[Jones] It honestly was
just tragic all the way around,
1589
01:24:02,871 --> 01:24:05,105
from the beginning to the end.
1590
01:24:05,206 --> 01:24:08,275
And it's just unimaginable
that somebody
1591
01:24:08,376 --> 01:24:10,544
in those short years
on the planet,
1592
01:24:10,645 --> 01:24:12,346
that their lives
would just be filled
1593
01:24:12,447 --> 01:24:14,114
with so much chaos and tragedy.
1594
01:24:16,051 --> 01:24:19,286
[Vanryckeghem] My hope
if there's even one person
1595
01:24:19,387 --> 01:24:22,556
who sees a child in any sort of
1596
01:24:22,657 --> 01:24:24,958
potentially
compromising position...
1597
01:24:25,060 --> 01:24:26,527
[sniffles]
1598
01:24:27,562 --> 01:24:29,696
Will remember what happened
to the Hart kids
1599
01:24:29,798 --> 01:24:31,131
and not overlook it.
1600
01:24:36,604 --> 01:24:39,740
[Burnett] Most people would
never have heard of the Hart children
1601
01:24:39,841 --> 01:24:41,909
if it didn't have
the wild, dramatic ending
1602
01:24:42,010 --> 01:24:44,945
of them driving off the edge of
America and crashing into the Pacific.
1603
01:24:47,215 --> 01:24:49,917
Right now, there are kids being
abused in situations like this
1604
01:24:50,018 --> 01:24:51,085
that we may never hear about,
1605
01:24:51,186 --> 01:24:53,387
because no one will take
an interest in their story.
1606
01:24:55,857 --> 01:24:57,724
And not just in a passing way,
1607
01:24:57,826 --> 01:24:59,259
but actually engage
with this person.
1608
01:24:59,360 --> 01:25:00,861
Let me see them
as a human being,
1609
01:25:00,962 --> 01:25:02,796
a fully complex person
in front of me,
1610
01:25:02,897 --> 01:25:05,132
as opposed to
a quickly understood symbol,
1611
01:25:05,233 --> 01:25:07,000
a black boy with
"free hugs" on his chest.