Jeremiah Hart, a 14-year-old Black male, died on March 26, 2018, when the family’s SUV plunged over a 100-foot cliff off Highway 1 in Mendocino County, California. He was one of six adopted children—Ciera Abigail Devonte Hannah and Markis —who perished in the incident alongside their adoptive parents, Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38-year-old White females. Jeremiah’s body, along with those of his siblings and parents, was found at or near the crash site.
Only Devonte’s body has never been recovered, though he was presumed dead and legally declared so in subsequent investigations.
Investigators determined through forensic analysis of the vehicle’s "black box" that the SUV had paused at the cliff’s edge, then accelerated at full throttle into the cliff, suggesting deliberate action. The car was also found with none of the occupants wearing seat belts. Jeremiah’s death—along with all of his siblings—was ruled homicide. The adoptive mothers’ deaths were determined to be suicides. A coroner’s jury, convened in April 2019, unanimously concluded that Jennifer and Sarah took their own lives, while each of the six children—including Jeremiah, age 14, male, Black—were killed at the hands of another person, rather than by accident.
Toxicological findings revealed that Jennifer Hart, who was driving, had a blood-alcohol level of. 102—over California’s legal limit of. 08—at the time of the crash. Sarah Hart had elevated levels of diphenhydramine in her system, approaching toxic levels, though not considered a direct cause of death. Evidence also showed that Sarah had conducted online searches in the days preceding the crash about the lethality of Benadryl, ways to drown, and other topics suggesting suicidal intent and potential harm to her children. A CPS report had been filed just days before the crash, based on concerns that the children were being abused or neglected; though authorities attempted contact, no one responded and the family disappeared shortly thereafter. These preceding signs, combined with the physical evidence, support the finding of an intentional murder–suicide.
There were no arrests made, as the parents died in the incident itself. There is no indication of any suspects beyond Jennifer and Sarah Hart. The nature of the event left no surviving perpetrator to prosecute.
