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Two women drugged themselves and their six adopted children before intentionally killing the whole family as they hurtled down a Californian cliff last year, ruled a special coroner's jury.
A jury of eight women and six men unanimously concluded on Thursday that Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, had committed suicide and that their six children aged 12 to 19 had died. the hands of another, other than an accident "in Mendocino County. murder-suicide March 26, 2018, reported the San Francisco Chronicle.
The jury's verdict came after eight investigators and a pathologist testified that the women had taken steps in advance to intentionally kill their entire family down a 100-foot cliff along Highway 1 near Westport with their families. drugged children in their 2003 GMC Yukon.
"They both decided it would be the end," said Jake Slates, California Highway Patrol investigator. "That they can not have their children, nobody will have them."
According to sheriff and coroner Tom Allman, the deadly accident – the largest mass murder in the history of Mendocino County – occurred just days after the opening of a police station. Washington state authorities investigated the family after charges were laid that the children were neglected.
The bodies of three of the children – Markis, 19, and Jeremiah and Abigail, both 14 years old – were found outside the SUV. A medical examiner decided Wednesday that Jennifer and Sarah Hart, as well as Markis, Jeremiah and Abigail, had died as a result of a broken neck.
The remains of Ciera, 12, were found weeks after the wreckage in the Pacific Ocean, but his body was too decomposed to make a final decision as to the cause of his death. A partial foot found on a beach in northern California was linked to Hannah, then aged 16, while the remains of the family's sixth child, Devonte, 15, have still not been found.
Toxicological tests revealed that Jennifer Hart, who rarely drank, had a blood alcohol level of 0.104 at the time, about the equivalent of five beers, investigators said. And no one inside the SUV would wear a seatbelt, despite the fact that friends said Jennifer Hart routinely acted as a "Nazi safety belt", often refusing to drive until all his family is buckled, reported the Chronicle.
In addition, Sarah Hart's mobile phone research revealed research on Google, asking how much Benadyrl would kill a 120-pound woman, if drowning would be painful, and what common drugs could be taken to cause an overdose, reports newspaper.
Toxicology reports have found high doses of diphenhydramine – the active ingredient in Benadryl – in all victims. Slates stated that Sarah Hart's blood levels indicated that she had taken 42 units of dosage before the accident, while Markis had more than 19 doses in her blood.
"The kids were more than likely unaware," Slates said. "Sarah would have been extremely addicted to this point."
Despite measures taken before the fatal dive, Slates said he did not think the Harts had begun their trip to California with the idea of killing themselves and killing their children. But at one point, it has changed dramatically.
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