Wash. Family's Crash Off Cliff May Have Been Intentional: Police

MENDOCINO, CA - The crash that killed a Washington family last week along the Pacific Coast Highway in California may have been intentional, according to local police. Data pulled from Jennifer and Sarah Hart's SUV show the car was stopped before it suddenly accelerated, plunging more than 100 feet down a cliff and into the Pacific Ocean, according to reports.

The California Highway Patrol reported the findings Sunday night. The revelation comes after reports that the family of eight may have had domestic trouble. State Child Protective Services was looking into an allegation that the children would go door-to-door in their Woodland neighborhood asking for food.

Jennifer and Sarah Hart adopted all six of their children. One of the children, Devonte Hart, was photographed hugging a Portland, Ore., police officer in 2014 during protests over the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

Police have recovered only the bodies of Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, and children Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14. They were found inside and near the SUV. Three more children — Hannah Hart, 16, Sierra Hart, 12, and Devonte Hart, 15 — have not been located. The rugged area where the crash occurred is preventing authorities from doing a more comprehensive search for them.

"The ocean currents and tides are strong, it’s unpredictable and the murkiness of the water makes it difficult to see,” said Mendocino County Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Greg Van Patten.

The crash happened sometime in the afternoon March 26. A passerby noticed their SUV upside down on the rocks below the highway.

Image courtesy Mendocino County Sheriff's Office