Jennifer and Sarah Hart, a same-sex, white couple living in Minnesota adopted 6 black and mixed-race children from Texas. That would be a challenge for most people, but Jen and Sarah made it look easy. Jen’s social media was full of beautiful pictures of their children in nature, political rallies, protests, and musical festivals. They seemed like the perfect modern family until reports of child abuse and neglect mounted and Child Protective Services (CPS) was called in 3 different states as the Harts moved to evade authorities. The tragic story ended on March 26, 2018, when Jen and Sarah decided to drive off a cliff in Northern California, forever affecting those who loved Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Jeremiah, Abigail, and Ciera so dearly.

Support this podcast.

Sources:

• https://news.yahoo.com/two-women-murdered-adopted-black-140003914.html
• https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hart-family-timeline-20180404-story.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N17FqridVE
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/hart-family-mystery-deepens-as-friends-remember-previous-foster-child-in-minnesota/
• https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/story-of-harts-foster-child-is-one-of-heartbreak-though-not-the-way-some-might-expect/
• https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/murder/hart-family-jennifer-hart-sarah-hart-devonte-hart-suv-crash
• https://www.startribune.com/years-of-abuse-allegations-gathered-on-oregon-parents-who-drove-over-ocean-cliff-with-kids/480720321/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2018/04/hart_family_crash_oregon_relea.html
• https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2018/04/hart_family_deaths_show_--_aga.html
• https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2018/04/devonte_harts_biological_mom_t.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/04/08/tourists-find-a-body-in-the-ocean-near-where-hart-familys-suv-plunged-off-a-cliff/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hart_family_murders
• https://time.com/5498137/hannah-hart-confirmed-dead-california-cliff-crash/?amp=true
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2010/01/cries_for_help_for_jeanette_ma.html
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/his-siblings-were-killed-by-their-adoptive-mother-he-was-left-in-foster-care-to-suffer-a-more-common-fate/2019/12/11/f54f793a-d654-11e9-9610-fb56c5522e1c_story.html
• https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/14/texas-child-welfare-removal-hart-family-deaths/
• https://www.adn.com/nation-world/2018/07/14/as-children-begged-for-help-system-failed-them/
• https://www.oregonlive.com/news/g66l-2019/04/62ad88fc503462/hart-family-inquest-see-evidence-the-jury-viewed-before-concluding-mothers-planned-fatal-crash.html
• https://www.amazon.com/We-Were-Once-Family-Removal-ebook/dp/B09Y4765CL/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2241MO98M9RMQ&keywords=we+were+once+a+family&qid=1698208991&sprefix=we+were+once+a+fa%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200129104737.htm