Months after finding human remains on a Northern California beach near the site of a crash that presumably killed all members of the Hart family, authorities identified the remains as those of 16-year-old Hannah Hart.
The girl, her five siblings and their adoptive parents died when 38-year-old Jennifer Hart drove their SUV off the Pacific Coast Highway and over a 60-foot cliff into the ocean March 26.
Investigators say Jennifer Hart was drunk, and some of the children were apparently drugged; the crash was intentional. Authorities haven’t determined a motive, however.
Hart was married to 38-year-old Sarah Hart; the Woodland couple adopted six children who ranged in age from 12 to 19.
Authorities have located and identified the remains of all of the Hart family members except 15-year-old Devonte Hart; he is still listed as a missing person with the Mendocino County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office. Investigators say they believe he, too, died in the crash but that the case remains open. However, there’s no indication Devonte is located elsewhere.
The sheriff’s office responded May 9 to the beach after a citizen found the skeletal remains of a foot inside a shoe and attached to a pair of jeans. The jeans and shoe appeared to be a fit for a smaller person. The remains were sent to the Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services Laboratory to see if DNA testing could help determine whether they were of the two missing Hart children.
In June, the sheriff’s office was notified that the DNA testing was inconclusive, and the remains couldn’t be positively identified. The lab requested additional DNA samples from known family members.
Then, in October, a woman who identified herself as the birth mother of Hannah Hart, Markis Hart, 19, and Abigail Hart, 14, contacted the sheriff’s office. The woman said she heard about the fatal crash from a family member, and submitted a DNA sample for comparison testing, according to a sheriff’s office news release.
The sheriff’s office learned Tuesday that additional DNA testing showed the remains found in May are a positive match to Hannah Hart.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
