🎙️ NEW EPISODE ALERT

Episode Title: Over the Edge: The Hart Family Murders
Release Date: Sat, January 25, 2026, at 9:00 PM EST
Platform: Spotify, Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, YouTube

CASE OVERVIEW
On March 26, 2018, Jennifer Hart (38) and her wife, Sarah Hart (38), drove their family’s GMC Yukon XL off a 100-foot coastal cliff in Mendocino County, California, near Westport. The vehicle carried their six adopted children: Markis (19), Hannah (16), Abigail (14), Jeremiah (14), Devonte (15), and Ciera (12). All eight occupants perished in the crash.

What initially appeared to be a tragic accident was revealed through forensic investigation to be a premeditated murder-suicide. On April 4, 2019—over a year after the incident—a 14-person coroner’s jury unanimously ruled that Jennifer and Sarah Hart died by suicide and that their six children died “at the hands of another.”

CRITICAL CASE FACTS FROM THE INVESTIGATION
Forensic Evidence Reveals Intentional Act

California Highway Patrol investigators analyzed data from the vehicle’s airbag module—essentially the SUV’s “black box”—and made a shocking discovery: Jennifer Hart did not apply the brakes before driving off the cliff. Instead, forensic data showed she accelerated the vehicle to approximately 20 miles per hour at 100% throttle (“pedal to the metal”) in just 3 seconds from a standing stop. Officer Timothy Roloff of the CHP’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team testified: “There are times, maybe if you’re merging on the freeway that you hit 100% throttle, but if you’re at a cliff edge and you’re with your family, how often do you apply 100% throttle? Ultimately, it seemed like a very unfortunate, intentional event.”

The SUV accelerated from approximately 70 feet away from the cliff’s edge with no skid marks present at the scene—further evidence of deliberate acceleration.
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Toxicology Findings: Premeditated Sedation

Toxicology results revealed a chilling picture of premeditation:

Jennifer Hart: Blood alcohol content of .102%—above California’s legal limit of .08%
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Sarah Hart: 42 therapeutic doses of diphenhydramine (Benadryl’s active ingredient) in her system
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Two of the children: Significant amounts of diphenhydramine detected
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Investigators believe Jennifer was drinking to build up the courage to carry out the act, while the Benadryl was administered to sedate the children and Sarah Hart.
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Google Searches: The Digital Confession

Perhaps the most damning evidence came from Sarah Hart’s cellphone. Investigator Jake Slates recovered deleted Google searches performed while the vehicle was in motion between leaving their Washington home and the crash site. These searches included:

“Can 500mg of Benadryl kill a 120-pound woman?”

“What over-the-counter medications can you take to overdose?”

“How can I easily overdose on over-the-counter medications?”

“Is death by drowning relatively painless?”

“How long does it take to die from hypothermia in water while drowning in a car?”

Sarah also searched “no-kill shelters for dogs”—the family’s two dogs were later found dead inside their Woodland, Washington home, suggesting premeditation extended even to the pets.
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The GPS Timeline: Flight and Destination

GPS data recovered from a device that washed ashore provided crucial timeline evidence:
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March 23, 8:30 PM: Harts fled their Woodland, Washington home—the same day Child Protective Services knocked on their door

March 23: Family stopped at Walmart for 18 minutes (investigators believe this is where they purchased the generic Benadryl later found in the vehicle)

March 23: The family stopped at a river by the Columbia River mouth for nearly two hours

March 24: Multiple stops along the Oregon coastline (Tillamook, Newport, Fred Meyer)

March 26, 7:15 PM: Arrived at Fort Bragg, California—GPS turned off for the first time since 2010

March 26, ~11 PM: Witness reports hearing engine revving and tires accelerating through gravel at Juan Creek turnout before the crash

THE HIDDEN ABUSE: A DECADE OF CRUELTY
Before the crash, Jennifer and Sarah Hart had systematically abused and starved their children across three states over ten years. Multiple child protective services agencies failed to intervene effectively.
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Minnesota (2008-2011):

Teachers observed bruises on Hannah’s arm; she reported being hit with a belt by Jennifer
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In 2010, Sarah pleaded guilty to misdemeanor domestic assault involving Abigail, admitting to spanking the child over suspicions about a stolen penny

Abigail reported that Jennifer placed her head in cold water as punishment
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Children were pulled from public school after abuse allegations surfaced
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Food deprivation was systematic: when Jennifer ordered pizza for the children, each was allowed only a small slice; when she discovered the pizza was gone, she punished all six children by withholding breakfast and forcing them to lie in bed for five hours with sleeping masks over their faces
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Washington (August 2017):

Hannah escaped from her second-story bedroom window at 1:30 AM and fled to neighbors, pleading: “Don’t make me go back! They’re racists, and they abuse us!”
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Devonte repeatedly visited neighbors asking for food, telling them his parents withheld meals as punishment
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On March 23, 2018, neighbors filed reports with both police and the Washington Department of Social and Health Services

Despite multiple documented abuse reports, investigations, and even a guilty plea from Sarah Hart in Minnesota, child protective services never permanently removed the children from the home.
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RELEVANT RESOURCES & SOURCES
For your research and further investigation into this case, explore these authoritative sources:

Court & Official Records:

[Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Case Files & Coroner’s Inquest Findings][Official documentation]

[California Highway Patrol Investigation Report][Forensic analysis and vehicle data]

[Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Records][CPS history]

Investigative Journalism:

The Appeal: “Before Children’s Grisly Deaths, A Family Fought for Them and Lost” by Roxanna Asgarian

This groundbreaking investigation traced the biological families’ efforts to retain custody and exposed systemic CPS failures

NPR: “‘We Were Once a Family’ exposes ills of U.S. child welfare system” (2023)

OPB: Comprehensive coroner’s inquest coverage and multi-part investigation

Documentary & Legal Analysis:

Clark University Academic Study: “LGBTQ PARENTS AND FILICIDE: Focus on the Hart Family Murders” in The (Mis)Representation of Queer Lives in True Crime

Related Content:

Visit www.veiledverdicts.com for additional case analysis, victim advocacy resources, and related true crime investigative content