Jennifer and Sarah Hart

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. Jenβs 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.
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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
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Hi. I'm Tina and I'm Rich. And if there's one thing we've learned
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in over twenty years of marriage,
it's that some days you'll feel like killing
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your wife, and some days you'll
feel like killing your husband. Welcome to
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love, Mary Kill, Hey Rich, Hey Tina. How are you.
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I'm doing pretty good. How are
you? I am pretty grumpy today,
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but I'm going to fake it till
I make it. I can't imagine why.
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Why are you so grumpy? I'm
just kind of overwhelmed with the state
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of the world, and I don't
know, everything has just been getting to
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me. We had this horrible shooting
last night in Maine, and you know,
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everything that's going on in the Middle
East. I don't want to get
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anyone else depressed, but it's just
really been bothering me. I think I'm
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I like to pretend that I'm tough, but I'm actually very sensitive and I'm
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kind of a little struggle just a
little bit. Yeah, I know you
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are, and I know there's a
lot of bad stuff going on in the
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world, for sure. Yeah,
and I've got a horrible, horrible story
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to tell you today. And I
think that's actually another reason that I've been
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struggling a little bit. This case
is one that I've wanted to tell since
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I started it last October, but
I was like, I just wasn't ready
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and I'm still not ready, but
it's an important story to tell you.
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Yeah, well, I'm looking forward
to it, but we haven't. We
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haven't recorded in a while because you
were so efficient before we left on our
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trip. So yeah, not since
our vacation. Really yeah, let's just
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briefly. I know people have a
short attention span to listen to other people's
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vacation, but it is kind of
pertinent to the podcast. We did do
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some true crime stuff on our vacation. Well, you made it sound like
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we wrote here sleuthor solved crime.
We solved the Scranton strangler mystery. No,
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we did. We did go see
Lizzie Bordon. Yeah, well we
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didn't see Lizzie Bordon. No,
but we saw her house that she grew
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up in, and we saw the
house on the hill, the fancy house,
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and we saw her grave and her
family's grave. And I know everyone's
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probably number one question is were you
scared? Did you feel anything? And
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my short answer is no. I
thought everyone's number one question would be why
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did you do that. Well,
we said we were going to. I
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really didn't want to, and it
was actually really cool. I normally stuff
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like that I wouldn't be that into, but it was. It was actually
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really interesting, and it was more
interesting because of you know, because of
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you doing the episode on lizen Board
in quite a while ago, so I
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knew a little bit more about it
than probably if you aren't a true crime
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person, I wouldn't recommend it.
But if you did a long podcast episode
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on Lizzieboard, you'd probably really into
it. Yeah. I thought it was
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really cool and what we I didn't
know. It was kind of pricey.
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Me it was like forty dollars a
person. And I thought we were just
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going to get to see the house. But this fella sat down and told
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us the story. It is a
great story. He was a really good
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storyteller, and we you know,
we we started in the living room and
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then we went to the dining room, and then we went up to the
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the room where Abby was killed.
And it was I thought it was it
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was pretty interesting. That was We
also went to Salem. We did go
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to Salem. Uh it was it's
cheesy, but yeah, I had a
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good time. Yeah, it was
fun, and we went to Boston.
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We did the Freedom Trail and we
saw Niagara Falls from the Canada side,
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which we had never seen. Was
stunning, which obviously it's stunning. Went
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to the Frank Lloyd Right Falling Well, we did. Yeah, that was
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amazing too, And we stayed in
the Oh. I love that little airbnb
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so much. I love I love
like a good air and Airbnb. A
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lot of them have been taken over
kind of yb you don't mean the last
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one, the one that we stayed
in. That was actually pretty funny.
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That one could have been the home
of a serial killer. Very possible.
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That was pretty funny because if you've
ever been to that area in Pennsylvania,
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mill and it's very remote, Yes, very very remote. We didn't download
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our directions because you just don't really
have to do that anymore. We lost
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our GPS signal. We had no
idea where we were. Really it was
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Friday in the thirteen. It was
was just baffled my way and I had
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seen picked. They're not a lot
of options for airbnb's out there, but
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I found this place. I'm like, and I am I'm I'm picky,
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but I was like, it's good
enough, you know, And so I
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just booked it. It wasn't super
expensive and it was like ten minutes away
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from Falling Water. And like I
said, we got lost. And then
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we get there and the caretaker lives
there, like not in the little cottage
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that we were in, but that's
always creepy. Yeah, and it was.
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It was getting dark when we got
there, and the house is like
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down the hill near the woods,
and it's sort of like hard to find.
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It was really hard to yeah,
yeah, if you're in the right
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place or not. And then there
was nothing in the cabin that was newer
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than nineteen eighty. And I'm not
exaggerating, right, Actually I am exaggering
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a little because there were some VHS
tapes that were a little a little newer.
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There were some DVDs. But it
was it was fun and really we
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were we were actually a little scared
because you'd have to see the cabin.
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But it was it was nice and
it had everything we needed. But it
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was just like creepy grandma's house.
It was definitely like the type of place
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you might see in a horror movie. Oh for sure. Yeah, we
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survived. We had fun. Yeah, and then we came home and and
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we actually were heading out to Marquette
this weekend to see our son. We
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have not seen since August. It's
crazy, yeah, crazy, And we've
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talked to him like twice much.
We talked to him a little bit,
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but he's a busy guy. And
uh, well, yeah, so we're
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gonna go to Marquette, which is
seven is sh hours away? Yeah,
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long, another long drive. So
anyway, speaking to our son, I
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made him some cookies and I get
to have one too, and I made
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Yeah, so this is going to
be your snack for the day. And
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you know you heard me swearing in
the kitchen when I dropped you dropped them
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all? Oh I didn't drop them
all, but I dropped more of them
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than I would have liked. Yeah, so, uh, black and white
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cookie. It looks delicious. Ye, it's one of his favorites. And
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I well it's one of your use. I love all the cookies. Really
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all right, you want to take
a quick break, Yeah, sure,
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right back. Well, as always, that was delicious, thank you.
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Well, someone who's listening doesn't know
what a black and white cookie is.
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It's pretty much just a short bread
cookie and half of it is chocolate and
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frosted with chocolate and half is frosted
with vanilla frosting. Yeah. Is it
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made famous by some bakery somewhere or
something? Or is it I think it's
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a New York Deli thing, but
I could totally be wrong. Yeah.
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All very good? All right,
So today's episode is a hard one.
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It involves children and abuse, and
while it's not particularly graphic, I do
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want to give a content warning.
Please listen with care. The drive along
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Highway one and Northern California is breathtaking. The road tightly hugs the coastline,
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creating a myriad of twists and turns. The road curves along the terrain,
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with the Pacific Ocean lapping the rocky
beaches below. The air is crisp and
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clean, with a vista that will
never cease to captivate you. Guardrails line
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much of the highway, but there
are stretches where the view is unencumbered.
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The drop to the ocean and cliffs
below is steep. On March twenty sixth,
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twenty eighteen, a German woman who
was visiting Northern California noticed an unusual
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sight when she stopped at a scenic
turnout along the highway about two hundred miles
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north of San Francisco in Mendocino County, at the bottom of a one hundred
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and forty foot cliff along the Pacific
Ocean, she spotted a crumpled and overturned
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two thousand and three GMC Yukon Excel
on the rocky beach below. She called
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nine one one. Emergency responders arrived
minutes later at four forty five PM,
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then repelled to the bottom of the
cliffs and found five bodies among the wreckage.
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Oh my gosh. Jennifer and Sarah
Hart, both thirty eight, were
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found in the partially submerged, overturned
vehicle. Jen was in the driver's seat
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and her wife, Sarah was in
the back of the vehicle, pinned between
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the collapsed roof and the seats.
Three of their six children, Marcus nineteen,
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Abigail and Jeremiah, both fourteen,
were thrown from the vehicle and found
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nearby. The three other Hart children
were missing, Hannah sixteen, Davante fifteen,
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and Sierra twelve. No one was
wearing a seat belt. When the
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vehicle's computer was later analyzed, it
indicated the Yukon pulled off of Highway One
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into the scenic turnout which lacked a
guard rail. Jen stopped for a moment
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before she floored the gas pedal.
The Yukon only traveled seventy feet and reached
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the speed of twenty miles per hour
before it floated off into the abyss and
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crashed at the bottom of the cliffs
over one hundred feet below. Was this
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a terrible action or a planned murder? Gosh, I don't know. Whatever
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it is, it's horrible, I
know. I'm sorry. It's a sad
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story. Jennifer Hart and Sarah Gngler
were both born in nineteen seventy nine in
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South Dakota, about one hundred and
fifty miles from each other. Jen was
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the oldest of three children and Sarah
was the oldest of four. They both
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grew up in small, nearly all
white towns. They met and fell in
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love in nineteen eighty nine at age
twenty, while studying at Northern State University
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in Aberdeen, South Dakota, where
they both were education majors, Sarah specializing
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in special education. She graduated in
two thousand and two with a four point
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zero GPA, but Jen dropped out
after Sarah's graduation a semester. Shy from
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graduation They shared a love of the
outdoors, spending their free time hiking,
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camping, kayaking, and attending Bohemian
music festivals. Sarah was engaged for a
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time after high school, but broke
it off before college. Jen and Sarah
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introduced each other as friends or roommates. They were a couple, but very
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discreet. However, later when they
moved to Minnesota, they lived openly as
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a couple. They were both estranged
from their families after their deaths. The
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family said their estrangement had nothing to
do with Jen and Sarah's sexual orientation,
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but after they'd voiced concerns over the
heart's parenting style, they severed ties.
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A relative of Jen said she often
erupted at the children, quote, the
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kids couldn't do anything without getting into
trouble. If the kids did anything she
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thought was wrong, she would snap
her fingers and say get in the corner.
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No food for you. Jen wouldn't
have anything to do with you if
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you disagreed with her end quote.
Sarah and her mother had once been very
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close, but after Sarah and Jen
became a couple, she felt that Jen
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made Sarah choose between her and her
family. In two thousand and five,
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Sarah legally changed her last name to
Heart. They married in two thousand and
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nine in Connecticut. Same sex marriage
wasn't yet legal in Minnesota, where they
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lived with all six of their adopted
children present. I know, I'm kind
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of getting ahead of myself with the
kids. We're going to circle back to
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the adoption. Jen was outgoing and
friendly, but also assertive and controlling,
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especially with Sarah and the children.
She was the rebel of the two.
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In college, she'd been arrested for
shoplifting. Sarah was more reserved, passive,
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and introverted. In two thousand and
four, Jen and Sarah moved to
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Alexandria, Minnesota, where they both
worked at a store called her Burgers.
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Her Burgers. I did say that
very real her Burgers, which I was
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like researching it, just really quick. And Burgners where I grew up,
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that was an offshoot of her Burgers, and my mom actually worked at Burgners.
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So interesting. Yeah, I think
they are a lot of business.
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It's weird how many department store chains
have gone out of business. Sarah was
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a manager and Jen worked in the
junior's department. They were in their mid
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twenties when they applied to become foster
parents, a fifteen year old girl came
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to live with them. Friends recalled
the couple being challenged by parenting an older
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child. I mean, of course
they were. Jen complained to a friend
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that the girl ate out of the
garbage, wasn't very smart, wouldn't do
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a homework, and was hard to
discipline. Jen and Sarah started the process
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of adoption shortly after. They told
their foster daughter that she was going to
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be a big sister, and she
was very excited. It's unclear how long
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she lived with Sarah and Jen.
I think about a year and a half.
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But one day they dropped her off
at her therapist's office and never returned.
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She was reassigned to a new foster
home with no explanation from Jen and
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Sarah. They never said goodbye.
Wow. She felt pardon, that's kind
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of cold. It was horrible.
She felt abandoned and devastated. She never
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had contact with them again. Gratefully, her next foster family, a youth
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pastor and his wife, welcomed her
with open arms. Jen and Sarah told
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their foster daughter's caseworker that they had
found a suicide note and a noose under
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her bed, and they couldn't have
someone mentally unstable around their newly adopted children,
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so they needed to sever ties with
her. And that wasn't true,
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the foster daughter said. Jen and
Sarah lied. She'd never been suicidal and
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definitely never ate food from the trash. And if it was true, there's
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no reason to abandon your foster child
without even saying goodbye or you know well,
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and I think you know. Gen
and Sarah at this time were about
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twenty five, and they were a
little immature. Yeah, weren't ready to
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be parents, especially to a fifteen
year old. In an interview with The
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Seattle Times, the Heart's former foster
daughter, who was chosen to remain anonymous,
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said the first six months were good
with Gen and Sarah. There was
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no abuse or withholding of food.
They exposed her to new adventures, such
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as camping and the music festivals they
loved. As time passed, Jen became
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moodier and often with Drue, choosing
to spend time alone. They began arguing
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more typical parent teenager issues. The
foster daughter worked at Subway during high school
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and was required to turn her paychecks
over to Gen, given only a small
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allowance. Today, though she's doing
well, and she has a child of
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her own. She has a relationship
with both her birth mother as well as
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her former foster parents. She forgives
the hearts and she doesn't believe that they
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were capable of killing their children.
So a week after abandoning their foster daughter,
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in September two thousand and six,
Jen and Sarah welcomed Marcus seven,
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Hannah four, and Abigail two from
Texas. The children's birth mother had several
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mental health issues and little outside support
after several difficult interactions with CPS Child Protective
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Services exactly, so, there's several
states in this story, and I refer
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to I know that some states it's
DCFS, but I'm going to just refer
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to it as CPS Child Protective Services. So she relinquished her parental rights,
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hoping her children would have a better
life. She had hoped for an open
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adoption and to be able to see
her children. She was shocked when her
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children were sent to live in Minnesota, thousand of miles away. She sunk
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into a deep depression when she wasn't
able to receive any updates on Marcus,
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Hannah, and Abigail. Here's an
excerpt from Jen's Facebook post describing the first
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twenty four hours of the heart's adoption
journey. It was unforgettable in all the
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ways we weren't expecting. We had
no idea what challenges we would be facing
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in the coming months and years.
I can't even begin to imagine what it
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would be like for a child that
had lived their entire life with inconsistency,
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abuse, and neglect to be swooped
twelve hundred miles away to a new place
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with a promise of this time it
will be different. This is how the
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first twelve hours of motherhood was for
us. The youngest urinated anywhere but the
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bathroom several times and fell down a
flight of stairs, resulting in a bloody
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gash on her chin. The middle
child pulled out chunks of hair and smeared
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feces on the wall, engorged herself
with food until she started choking and needed
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the Heimlich, resulting in episodes of
projectile vomiting. The oldest banged his head
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repetitively on a rock wall until we
were able to safely restrain him. Blood
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was involved. This was a result
of not giving him a king sized tutsi
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roll that he requested At nine p
m. It took hours to calm him
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and get him to a place where
we could leave him in his room to
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sleep. We were physically and mentally
obliterated by this time. We went to
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bed absolutely terrified as a million thoughts
ran through our minds. As we drifted
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off to sleep, we were abruptly
reminded that our day was far from over.
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Loud crashes, banging, in strange
sounds, slash voices from above us
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resulted in us sprinting upstairs to find
the eldest in a closet. He told
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us he was possessed by demons as
he growled, clad, and spoke in
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multiple voices while continuing to thrash,
bite, and bang his head on the
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wall. My heart was breaking as
I was terrified. I was terrified for
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him, and it would be disingenuous
if I didn't admit I was afraid of
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what he could do to the others
as well. Hours passed before we were
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able to get him to sleep.
That night, just when it seemed like
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we could breathe again, the youngest
had an asthma attack and stopped breathing.
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A one am er visit followed.
I didn't sleep at all for the first
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forty eight hours of parenthood. I
cried a lot. What had we done?
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We had no experience with these kinds
of things. We questioned everything.
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When the social worker called to check
in after the first night, we related
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everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Her response,
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just give them whatever they want.
We were dumbfounded. That's it, that's
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the golden advice, and that moment
I knew what to do. We could
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not give up on these kids.
Before we were matched with these children,
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they were going to be separated and
adopted into two different families, with the
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oldest placed and a residential treatment facility. How can a child even know what
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they want when they haven't even been
gifted with what they need? If not
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us, who at twenty five years
old? We didn't have any parenting experience
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under our belts, but we had
boltloads of blood of compassion, intelligence,
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and the natural instincts to navigate these
wild and unchartered waters. There was no
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way on earth we were going to
toss these children back into the incredibly broken
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and abysmal foster care system. It
was long. I just I'm not sure
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how much of it I believe,
especially when you said the social workers said,
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just give them whatever they want.
I have a very hard time believing
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one of four year old sumearing feces
on a wall. Yeah, and the
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kids, as far as we know, weren't developmentally delayed, and if they
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were, it was slight, slight
delays. Two years later, in February
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two thousand and nine, the Hart
family expanded when they adopted Davante five,
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Jeremiah four, and Sierra three,
also from Texas. The state of Texas
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gives adoptees a monthly cash stipend for
each child adopted from the foster care system,
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as much as five hundred dollars per
child, in addition to SSI Supplemental
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Security Income if the child has been
she needs. The Hearts likely received the
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SSI benefits for at least two of
the children. The money from Texas made
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up about fifty percent of the Heart's
income. Wow, I know, I
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didn't know that was a thing for
her. Very surprised after the children,
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but I think it's because they pulled
them out of the foster system and adopted
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them Before DeVante, Jeremiah, and
Sierra went to Minnesota to live with Jen
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and Sarah. The children had been
living with their aunt Priscilla Celestine, their
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father's sister. Priscilla Celestine was a
good and loving caregiver, a faithful churchgoer
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with a steady job. She really
wanted the children to be in her care
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so they could be around family and
not be separated. She loved them deeply.
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Foster parents are given a monthly stipe
stipend for living cost and medical care,
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but if the foster parent is a
relative, they're not qualified to receive
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any money. Priscilla's finances were stretched
thin to keep the children. She needed
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to move from her two bedroom apartment
to a four bedroom home. The children's
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mother, Sherry, struggled with crack
cocaine addiction. Jeremiah tested positive for cocaine
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at birth, and Cherry tested positive
for cocaine at Sierra's birth, so the
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second and third children. In order
for Priscilla to be able to adopt the
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children, Sherry was required to relinquish
her parental rights and was forbid from seeing
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the children. She agreed in order
to prevent them from entering the foster care
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system or to be adopted by another
family, or possibly become separated. Priscilla
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desperate for childcare when she was called
to work an extra shift one day asked
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Sherry if she could come stay with
the children. Sherry maintained her sobriety over
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long periods of times, and this
was one of those times. CPS happened
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to show up that day for an
impromptu visit. The children were immediately taken
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away from Priscilla, no second chance
chances. There was no evidence that Sherry
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had been using drugs during her visit, but she just Priscilla fodtheart to regain
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custody, but the children were sent
to Minnesota despite her best efforts. Priscilla
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was devastated. And to me,
that's just you know, she had one
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chance. Yeah, and the children, I mean there were, you know,
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thousands of miles away. Heartbreaking.
She really did love them and she
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wanted she wanted to keep them.
Cherry relapsed after she learned about her children's
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death. She had always hoped to
get them back somehow. But she is
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clean and sober now and has been
for many years. And she went on
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to have former children, and I
think that some of them ended up in
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CPS two. Cherry told the Oregonian
quote, they're so quick to snatch children
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from people like us, but once
they're adopted, they don't even check on
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them. End quote. She hopes
that she can bring her children's bodies back
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to Texas so they can be closer
to her. Davante, Jeremiah, and
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Sierra had another brother, Dante,
who was eight at the time of the
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adoption. He had extreme discipline challenges
and wasn't considered adoptable at the time.
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After he was separated from his siblings, he attempted suicide. An eight year
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old attempting suicides just devastating. Yeah, that's really not horrible. Yeah,
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he was institutionalized in a mental hospital
for a time where he was over medicated
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for a variety of psychological issues by
polar disorder ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder.
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And once a child receives those diagnoses, it's hard to get out of the
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system. It's hard to get out
of the system, and it makes you
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kind of, you know, unadoptable. Yeah. I'm not saying that Dante
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did not have those disorders, but
the person that diagnosed him probably spent an
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hour with him and gave him that
diagnosis that would follow him for you know,
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the rest of his life. Dante
requested many times to have contact with
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his siblings, but Jen and Sarah
did not allow it. He was placed
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in eleven different FOSS homes until he
aged out of the system. And the
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more placements a child has, the
more unfavorable the outcome. Yeah, I
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can imagine. Dante's file was foury
seven hundred pages long. Very complicated case.
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Sometime in two thousand and nine,
Jen and Sarah decided to expand their
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family again. Sarah used IVF and
got pregnant, but later miscarried. They
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also started the process of adopting twins
from Texas, one with cerebral palsy,
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but it fell through Permanent Family Resource
Center, the agency that Jen and Sarah
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used for their adoptions, had a
history of violations, including a failure to
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properly conduct home studies for pending placements. The agency's license was suspended for two
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years in two thousand and nine and
closed permanently in twenty twelve. We're going
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to take a quick break. We'll
be right back, Okay. So the
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Heart family have now there's now six
of them and their family is complete.
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They're not going to adopt it.
They tried to adopt another. They tried
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to have a one through IVF and
that neither of those worked. Out right,
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and I don't think I've said this. Both Sarah and Jen are white,
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and the six kids are some of
them are black, and some of
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them are of mixed. Okay.
People who knew the Heart Tribe, a
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name coined by their friends, were
in awe of the close knit, beautiful
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family. The children exuded joy,
always smiling and well behaved. They thought
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the machinery of their family was well
oiled and ran seamlessly. I showed you
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some pictures of the kids last night, do you remember. Yeah, they
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looked like a lovely family. There's
beautiful children. Yeah, yeah, the
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pictures you showed me. Everyone looked
happy and it looked like a really like
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a perfect family. Here's a brief
clip of a friend talking about the family.
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Before I actually met the Hearts,
I heard about these these kids that
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would come to these festivals that I
attend, people mentioning like, oh,
345
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you know the Heart kids. They
give free hugs. I heard, Oh,
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these two brave lesbian women went against
all odds and adopted numerous children and
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are giving them this unprecedented life.
Really that no child is so lucky to
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have. These kids were just pure
joy. All they could do is just
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smile. From ear to ear.
They were always like propped up on people's
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shoulders, dancing in the crowd.
The memories of that are so sweet.
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They were a unit. Jins seemed
to be leading the most exceptional life.
352
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This super mom, this champion of
racial reconciliation, willing to sacrifice herself for
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the greater good of these beautiful children. We all felt like we were along
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for the ride. Are you at
all familiar with these music festivals. They're
355
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like days long festivals where people are
doing like dancing in yoga and it's just
356
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a very spiritual kind of I'm familiar
with like Lollapalooza music festival like that,
357
00:26:21.680 --> 00:26:23.279
but this sounds like a little bit
different. Yeah, one of them is
358
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called the Beloved Festival. But people
travel around and go to these different festivals.
359
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Okay, a little more spiritual in
nature, I guess definitely. Jen
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and Sarah wanted their children to be
socially conscious and attended many Black Lives Matter
361
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protests and Bernie Sanders rallies as well
as the musical music festivals. One such
362
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music festival was called the Beloved Festival. Attendees gathered off and wearing costumes to
363
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share their love of music, art, yoga, and culture. The Heart
364
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tribe would show up wearing costumes,
matching shirts or jean jackets. Often Sarah
365
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would have to stay home and work. She worked long hours to support the
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family, usually six days a week. Friends thought they were the perfect family.
367
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However, it was rare that anyone
was invited to the Heart Home to
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observe their home life. No one
knew what was happening behind the closed doors.
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In two thousand and eight, Hannah, aged six, was found to
370
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have bruising on her arm by her
teacher. When the teacher asked her what
371
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happened, she said she had been
beaten with the belt. No charges were
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filed. The mothers told CPS that
Hannah had fallen down the stairs. Jen
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and Sarah removed the children from school
until the next fall. The adoption of
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DeVante, Jeremiah and Sarah was finalized
quickly despite the child abuse claim. Oh
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wow, doesn't seem right. No, and I guess I didn't really specify
376
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this, but when they went to
live with them, there's like a six
377
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month waiting period before the adoption was
finalized, and this claim happened in that
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00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:57.960
six months, though it should have
been investigated much more thoroughly than it was.
379
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:03.599
Twenty eleven, six complaints were filed
with Minnesota CPS against Sarah and Jen
380
00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:08.480
for physical abuse and withholding food from
their children. Abby six, was very
381
00:28:08.480 --> 00:28:11.720
small for her age, the size
of a two year old. She was
382
00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:15.960
seen rummaging through the trash at school
looking for food. On several occasions.
383
00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.839
Abbey's teacher noticed bruises on her back, extending from her shoulders to her waist
384
00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:26.079
and on her chest. Abby told
her teacher their parents thought that she had
385
00:28:26.119 --> 00:28:32.200
stolen a penny and held her head
held underwater and they hit her with their
386
00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:37.240
fists. Her teacher stopped telling her
mothers about her taking food when she realized
387
00:28:37.240 --> 00:28:41.720
that Abby was being punished at home
for this. Abby named Jen as her
388
00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:45.160
abuser, but Sarah took the blame. Sarah was arrested and she told law
389
00:28:45.200 --> 00:28:49.119
enforcement that she had angrily hit Abby
while she was leaning her over the edge
390
00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:55.000
of the bathtub. Sarah was given
community service and one year of probation.
391
00:28:56.720 --> 00:29:00.759
Hannah also had hunger issues at school
when came to school hungry, and her
392
00:29:00.799 --> 00:29:06.640
friends would give her food. Not
much makes me matter than people not feeding
393
00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:08.480
their kids. Yeah, like that's
not the way to punish your kids.
394
00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:12.000
Yeah, you don't. You shouldn't
reward your kids with food. You shouldn't
395
00:29:12.039 --> 00:29:15.559
take food away, like unless it's
like, you know, like, oh,
396
00:29:15.599 --> 00:29:18.400
you were naughty today, you don't
get dessert something right, minor like
397
00:29:18.480 --> 00:29:22.119
that. But yeah, starving your
kids is never okay. Starving your kids
398
00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:29.039
and then sending them to school is
just it just really upsets me. And
399
00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:33.079
January twenty eleven, the school nurse
called Sarah when Hannah said she hadn't eaten
400
00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:37.279
all day. Sarah accused Hannah of
quote playing the food card and told school
401
00:29:37.319 --> 00:29:42.359
officials to just give her water.
The Hearts again found themselves under investigation by
402
00:29:42.400 --> 00:29:48.880
CPS. The children were interviewed and
according to the Minnesota Star Tribune quote,
403
00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:52.680
the children talked about not getting supper, getting sent to bed without food,
404
00:29:52.119 --> 00:29:56.359
being made to stay in bed all
day, or stand in the corner for
405
00:29:56.440 --> 00:30:00.519
a long time end quote. Jen
claimed that the kids had food issues that
406
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:06.640
no one understood because of their traumatic
pasts. Others came forward and told CPS
407
00:30:06.640 --> 00:30:10.160
that they saw Jennifer Hart forcing the
children to lay on the ground in a
408
00:30:10.279 --> 00:30:14.319
dark room for four to seven hours, grabbing and dragging the children and not
409
00:30:14.440 --> 00:30:19.119
allowing anyone to say Happy Birthday to
Marcus. Beginning in April twenty eleven,
410
00:30:19.279 --> 00:30:25.440
Jen homeschooled the children. They never
again attended public school, taking away a
411
00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:30.079
huge safety net from the already vulnerable
children. Boy, it's never a good
412
00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:34.000
sign. No. Jen claimed her
family was targeted and bullied in the conservative
413
00:30:34.000 --> 00:30:40.160
Minnesota community they lived in because of
their alternative lifestyle. She said the tires
414
00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:44.200
on her car were slashed and their
house was egged, but none of those
415
00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:48.759
claims were ever proven. The Hearts
moved to Westland, Oregon, outside of
416
00:30:48.759 --> 00:30:52.440
Portland, in twenty thirteen, thinking
the liberal community would be a better fit
417
00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:56.440
for their modern family. Two years
later, a case was opened there by
418
00:30:56.480 --> 00:31:02.480
CPS for allegations of abuse in male
nourishment. Medical records showed that in twenty
419
00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:07.400
thirteen, five of the six Heart
children were so small and thin that they
420
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:12.799
didn't even registered on the standard growth
chart used by pediatricians. That's that is
421
00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:15.839
really very small and very thing.
Yeah, And did the kids not go
422
00:31:15.880 --> 00:31:18.519
to school when they went to Oregon
either? Were they still owned school?
423
00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:22.799
Were still home school? At age
eleven, Hannah weighed just fifty pounds and
424
00:31:22.960 --> 00:31:26.000
was forty eight inches tall, about
the size of a six year old.
425
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:32.720
Davante weighed fifty seven pounds and was
fifty inches at age eleven, about the
426
00:31:32.720 --> 00:31:36.319
size of an eight year old.
Jen would say that the children were healthy
427
00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:41.640
and slim because of their organic vegetarian
diet. Oregon CPS closed the case after
428
00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:45.759
five months, concluding that there were
signs, but there was not enough evidence
429
00:31:45.799 --> 00:31:49.000
of neglect or abuse in the Heart
home to prolong their investigation, despite two
430
00:31:49.079 --> 00:31:56.119
eye witnesses reporting harsh punishments and withholding
of food. The problem, a CPS
431
00:31:56.119 --> 00:32:00.160
employee, said, was that Jen
and Sarah just looked so normal. They
432
00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:02.519
didn't look like child abusers. Whatever
that mean? Yeah, what does the
433
00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:07.480
child abuser look like? Exactly?
It would be an ongoing theme for years
434
00:32:07.480 --> 00:32:10.839
to come. Jen and Sarah were
attractive, educated, and Jen could talk
435
00:32:10.880 --> 00:32:15.920
her way out of just about any
situation. A CPS official said in their
436
00:32:16.119 --> 00:32:21.039
report that the mothers were good at
deflecting and blaming the children for incidents in
437
00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:24.640
their home. The report also noted
that the children all gave the same answers
438
00:32:24.680 --> 00:32:30.920
when questioned and lacked emotion. It
was obvious they had been coached their punishment
439
00:32:30.920 --> 00:32:35.880
for misbehaving. They told CPS was
just to meditate for five minutes. One
440
00:32:35.920 --> 00:32:38.160
of the people who reported Gen and
Sarah to CPS was a friend the family
441
00:32:38.160 --> 00:32:42.720
had visited. They ordered pizza,
and the friend thought it was odd that
442
00:32:42.759 --> 00:32:46.240
each child was only given one slice
of pizza. Have you ever met a
443
00:32:46.279 --> 00:32:50.599
kid in your life that has eaten
one piece of pizza? No? The
444
00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:53.039
next morning, the leftover pizza was
gone. Someone had eaten it in the
445
00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:57.920
middle of the night. Jen took
each child to the bathroom and questioned them,
446
00:32:58.000 --> 00:33:00.720
but none of them owned up to
eating the pizza. She refused the
447
00:33:00.799 --> 00:33:05.359
children breakfast and made them all lay
down on a bed for four to five
448
00:33:05.400 --> 00:33:09.480
hours during the day wearing a blindfold
with their arms by their sides. That's
449
00:33:09.640 --> 00:33:14.240
horrible, and that's what she did
at a friend's house, So what is
450
00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:16.359
she doing in their own home?
Yeah, exactly. The friend talked to
451
00:33:16.440 --> 00:33:21.640
Jen about the unfair punishment, but
she angrily brushed her off. She later
452
00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:24.319
told authorities that the heart children were
all much too thin, and they ran
453
00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:30.640
a quote regimented boot camp for true
kindness, love and respect for the children
454
00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:36.079
was largely absent. Did I'm just
curious, did Jennifer and Sarah have any
455
00:33:36.279 --> 00:33:38.759
eating issues themselves or anything. It
seems like food is like a big part
456
00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:45.559
of the way that they decided to
punish their kids where they overweight, underweight.
457
00:33:45.640 --> 00:33:49.319
Any issues that you know of their
no, they both they both looked
458
00:33:49.440 --> 00:33:53.000
very normal. Sarah was definitely on
the thin side. Actually, I know
459
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:57.839
that she was five six, one
hundred and twenty pounds because of her autopsy.
460
00:33:58.839 --> 00:34:00.279
But Jen was heavier and actually,
at the time of her death,
461
00:34:01.200 --> 00:34:04.920
friend said that she hadn't seen her
in a while. It looked like she
462
00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:07.760
was twenty five pounds heavier than she
had ever been before. So both of
463
00:34:07.760 --> 00:34:13.239
the women are pretty active and in
good shape. In Oregon, homeschoolers are
464
00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:17.159
required to register their children with a
local school district since the deaths of two
465
00:34:17.239 --> 00:34:22.519
girls who were removed from schools by
their parents and later died. Ten year
466
00:34:22.519 --> 00:34:28.920
old Miranda Crockett was withdrawn from public
school five months before her father's girlfriends drowned
467
00:34:28.960 --> 00:34:32.159
her in a bathtub, and she
was cut off from trusted adults with whom
468
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:36.960
she could confide in. In two
thousand and nine, a fifteen year old
469
00:34:37.000 --> 00:34:39.800
girl, Jeanette Mables, was killed
by her mother and her stepfather after a
470
00:34:39.840 --> 00:34:45.159
severe beating. Her friends and family
had attempted to contact CPS to act in
471
00:34:45.199 --> 00:34:50.159
her case. After years of being
abused and starved. She had been in
472
00:34:50.199 --> 00:34:53.719
foster care for five years, but
was returned to her mother, who homeschooled
473
00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:59.639
her. After their deaths Oregon CPS
vowed to be more diligent in following up
474
00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:05.559
on fire reports, especially among homeschooled
children who don't have access to traditional community
475
00:35:05.559 --> 00:35:10.239
supports like schools, churches, or
medical services after parents have isolated them.
476
00:35:10.960 --> 00:35:15.800
Heartbreaking. Oh god. Yeah.
Attorney David Paul is working on making CPS
477
00:35:15.840 --> 00:35:21.440
more accountable, but he said,
quote, trying to make this agency accountable
478
00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:25.920
is like trying to push a freightliner
with a canoe paddle. They are interested
479
00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:30.440
in maintaining the status quo. People
call the hotline expecting something is going to
480
00:35:30.480 --> 00:35:35.480
happen, but they are dropped into
the ABYSS without any rope end quote.
481
00:35:35.639 --> 00:35:38.280
I have to believe there's like a
funding issue, just a resource issue there
482
00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:43.519
too. It's not I can't believe
that people at CPS are like bad people,
483
00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:45.639
that they just don't care about this
stuff. I have to believe they're
484
00:35:45.719 --> 00:35:52.800
very overworked and just don't have the
resources well, it's not the caseworkers,
485
00:35:52.119 --> 00:35:58.639
and a good friend of ours is
a CPS caseworker. It's the system and
486
00:35:58.840 --> 00:36:01.079
they can only do so much and
they are given to many cases. And
487
00:36:02.199 --> 00:36:07.320
this is an ongoing problem in this
case that we're talking about today, And
488
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:08.599
I wish I had the answers,
but I don't know. They were just
489
00:36:08.599 --> 00:36:13.199
failed by the system. But the
system is, the system is broken,
490
00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:17.519
so it's like it's just impossible.
The Heart children were never officially registered as
491
00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:22.920
homeschoolers with the state after their move, which is illegal. Davante Heart was
492
00:36:22.960 --> 00:36:29.599
the most magnetic, outgoing Heart child. His effrofescent personality and bright smile captivated
493
00:36:29.639 --> 00:36:35.880
everyone he met. Did I say
Effrofestant's funny? Pretty good? Oh boy?
494
00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:38.719
He had a way of being noticed. Everyone loved him from a young
495
00:36:38.760 --> 00:36:43.360
age. He wore a sign around
his neck that said free Hugs when his
496
00:36:43.400 --> 00:36:47.039
family attended public events. Friends recall
his hugs being tight and full of love.
497
00:36:49.280 --> 00:36:52.639
Like having your kid wear a free
hugs shirt. A little strange had
498
00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:55.639
not a free hug shirt but a
sign. It's just I don't really I
499
00:36:55.679 --> 00:36:59.519
wouldn't want a bunch of people touching
my kid. Yeah, do we know
500
00:36:59.559 --> 00:37:01.000
if that was his idea to do
that or if it was, what do
501
00:37:01.039 --> 00:37:04.440
you think, I mean, probably
not, but it does sound like he
502
00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:06.760
was like an outgoing kid. Well, you were a loving kid, but
503
00:37:06.800 --> 00:37:08.440
I'm sure it wasn't like, hey, moms, I have an idea.
504
00:37:08.639 --> 00:37:14.400
Yeah. In twenty fourteen, while
attending a Black Lives Matter rally in Portland,
505
00:37:14.480 --> 00:37:17.559
Oregon, after police officers were acquitted
of wrongdoing in the death of Michael
506
00:37:17.559 --> 00:37:22.880
Brown and Ferguson, Missouri, an
image of Davante went viral. He was
507
00:37:22.920 --> 00:37:28.559
wearing his free Hug sign along with
a leather jacket and a stylish patterned royal
508
00:37:28.599 --> 00:37:32.840
blue fedora when a white police officer
in rei gear asked him for a hug.
509
00:37:34.400 --> 00:37:37.960
And the photo is the too embrace. The officer has a slight smile
510
00:37:37.079 --> 00:37:43.079
and tears are rolling down DeVante's face. His face is full of emotion.
511
00:37:44.039 --> 00:37:47.639
This picture was coined the hug felt
around the world a sign of hope and
512
00:37:47.760 --> 00:37:52.840
racial healing. But of course that's
way too much pressure to put on an
513
00:37:52.840 --> 00:37:54.800
eleven year old child. And I
showed you this picture. I mean,
514
00:37:54.800 --> 00:37:58.679
it's a beautiful it's a beautifulictuture.
Yeah, it really is. It does
515
00:37:58.719 --> 00:38:00.880
it. It makes you tear up, just like looking at the picture.
516
00:38:00.440 --> 00:38:05.440
Yeah, it's full, just full
of emotion in his little basement. Here's
517
00:38:05.480 --> 00:38:08.280
a short clip. As someone around
here said today, what the world needs
518
00:38:08.320 --> 00:38:13.199
now might just be what we see
in this photo. After days of disturbing
519
00:38:13.280 --> 00:38:17.199
media imagery surrounding the Ferguson grand jury
decision, there's this in the midst of
520
00:38:17.239 --> 00:38:22.119
an emotional rally in Portland, Oregon, police Sergeant Brett Barnum and twelve year
521
00:38:22.159 --> 00:38:25.519
old Davonte Hart. And it turns
out Davante has a remarkable story himself.
522
00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:29.960
Born to a drug addicted mother and
into a violent life. He and his
523
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.159
two siblings were adopted into a loving
family, and Davante was at that rally
524
00:38:34.159 --> 00:38:37.599
with a message of peace and holding
a sign offering free hugs. Sergeant Barnum
525
00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:43.039
asked if he might have one.
Brian Williams remember him, I do,
526
00:38:44.280 --> 00:38:46.880
yeah, kind of a fall from
grace. I didn't remember what happened,
527
00:38:46.880 --> 00:38:51.280
but I figured he must have had
some kind of must have gotten canceled somehow.
528
00:38:52.079 --> 00:38:53.840
Well, he got put like on
a I think he might have been
529
00:38:53.880 --> 00:38:57.880
suspended for a while, but then
he went to like the late late late
530
00:38:58.000 --> 00:39:05.679
late news embellish some stories, and
it wasn't clear if he had false memories
531
00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:09.880
or he was lying. Knowing more
about the heart children struggles at home puts
532
00:39:09.880 --> 00:39:15.079
the famous picture in a different light. Was DeVante hoping this officer could save
533
00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:20.280
him and his siblings? I would
not have I would not have guessed that.
534
00:39:20.400 --> 00:39:22.239
I guess, but now that you
say that, maybe that is a
535
00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:27.320
possibility. Or did he not want
to hug the officer? And Jen kind
536
00:39:27.360 --> 00:39:30.280
of like, oh, go hug. Oh, so you think the tears
537
00:39:30.280 --> 00:39:35.199
were like he was him doing this
against his will? Maybe? Yeah,
538
00:39:35.280 --> 00:39:37.599
well it did. I mean,
it does seem organic. He looks very
539
00:39:37.639 --> 00:39:40.559
genuine. It does look very genuine. Of course we'll post that. Jen
540
00:39:40.639 --> 00:39:45.199
later posted the photo on Facebook with
a following caption, my son has a
541
00:39:45.199 --> 00:39:51.079
heart of gold, compassion beyond anything
I've ever experienced, yet struggles with living
542
00:39:51.119 --> 00:39:55.199
fearlessly when it comes to the police
and people who don't understand the complexity of
543
00:39:55.320 --> 00:40:00.440
racism that is prevalent in our society. It was one of the most emotionally
544
00:40:00.519 --> 00:40:06.719
charged experiences I've ever had as a
mother. End quote. So she's saying
545
00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:10.079
his tears were because he was fearful
like living in fear of the police.
546
00:40:10.719 --> 00:40:15.159
I think she was just talking about
racism in general, like he was just
547
00:40:15.679 --> 00:40:22.440
devastated by racism, Davante told The
Oregonian when asked why he was giving hugs
548
00:40:22.519 --> 00:40:27.000
during the twenty fourteen Portland protest.
Quote, I was trying to show peace
549
00:40:27.320 --> 00:40:30.079
that there is a different way to
handle it. End quote. Davante was
550
00:40:30.079 --> 00:40:35.320
definitely Jen's favorite. He understood the
role and he was that he was required
551
00:40:35.360 --> 00:40:38.199
to play and shined in it.
It seemed that he received special treatment as
552
00:40:38.239 --> 00:40:44.800
the favorite child, which brings us
to Jen's social media posts and online life.
553
00:40:45.320 --> 00:40:51.280
Jen was deeply involved in an online
gaming community called oz Broken Kingdom.
554
00:40:51.440 --> 00:40:53.440
Have you ever heard of this?
No? I haven't. I think it
555
00:40:53.519 --> 00:40:57.039
has something to do with a Wizard
of Oz, but I don't really know
556
00:40:57.079 --> 00:41:00.800
anything about it. Jen' spen hours
and hours each day playing the game,
557
00:41:00.880 --> 00:41:04.639
often ignoring the children. She was
the co leader of a clan. A
558
00:41:04.719 --> 00:41:07.079
clan, do you know what that
is? I assume it's just a group
559
00:41:07.119 --> 00:41:10.039
within the game, like a team. It's a group of about fifty people
560
00:41:10.039 --> 00:41:15.039
that form a team and play the
game together to defeat other teams. Her
561
00:41:15.079 --> 00:41:19.760
responsibilities as a co leader in the
game required her to play as long as
562
00:41:19.880 --> 00:41:23.719
twelve to fourteen hours a day.
She I can't imagine playing again, and
563
00:41:23.400 --> 00:41:29.480
she didn't work outside the homes Sarah
was the breadwinner of the family and Jen
564
00:41:29.920 --> 00:41:35.679
stayed home and well she was homeschooling
the kids right in between her twelve hours
565
00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:39.039
of gameplaying. She was competitive and
always at the top of the leader board.
566
00:41:39.159 --> 00:41:44.559
Her team was ranked second worldwide.
She was very social with the other
567
00:41:44.599 --> 00:41:47.639
members of her clan and was well
liked by the group until she abruptly left
568
00:41:47.679 --> 00:41:52.840
the game in the summer of twenty
seventeen. Allegedly there was some dispute among
569
00:41:52.920 --> 00:41:59.400
the players, and Jen really didn't
like anyone questioning her authority. A friend
570
00:41:59.440 --> 00:42:01.320
of hers from the gaming community said, with the amount of hours that she
571
00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:05.840
spent playing the game, there was
no way she would have been able to
572
00:42:05.880 --> 00:42:10.039
provide her six children with an education
because the game was so immersive and time
573
00:42:10.119 --> 00:42:17.360
consuming and expensive. We six six
kids to homeschool with different levels and different
574
00:42:17.400 --> 00:42:22.920
grades. That's a lot. Yeah, yeah, for sure. And Jen
575
00:42:22.239 --> 00:42:27.960
was known for her lengthly effusive,
sentimental and political posts on Facebook. Her
576
00:42:28.000 --> 00:42:32.880
post portray a perfectly imperfect family which
I'm going to tell you personally, the
577
00:42:34.800 --> 00:42:39.360
people, the influencers that are always
posting our Ruby Frankie episode we talk about
578
00:42:39.760 --> 00:42:45.920
reminding me a lot about this episode, the perfectly imperfect bloggers and social media.
579
00:42:45.960 --> 00:42:49.280
It drives me nuts, Like,
oh, this is our family.
580
00:42:49.400 --> 00:42:53.920
We're a mess, but we all
just drives me nuts. Jen was a
581
00:42:53.920 --> 00:42:59.159
skilled photographer and was good at posting
the children to get the most impactful shots
582
00:42:59.280 --> 00:43:04.679
the children beautiful with bright smiles.
She posted frequent photos of the children gardening,
583
00:43:04.800 --> 00:43:07.079
raising chickens, and reading books in
the woods. And this was their
584
00:43:07.119 --> 00:43:13.519
homeschool curriculum. And a Facebook post
from twenty fourteen, Chan wrote about a
585
00:43:13.599 --> 00:43:15.280
visit to the grocery store and I'm
going to have you read it if you
586
00:43:15.280 --> 00:43:20.800
don't mind. Sure. An elderly
man was standing at the end of the
587
00:43:20.840 --> 00:43:23.840
bagging area conversing with the woman checking
us out. He spots our son,
588
00:43:24.079 --> 00:43:28.679
looks him up and down. Man, I can tell you're going to be
589
00:43:28.719 --> 00:43:31.840
a baseball player when you grow up. Son pauses, tilts his head and
590
00:43:31.880 --> 00:43:37.000
gives a closed mouth grin. Actually, no, baseball isn't really my thing.
591
00:43:37.880 --> 00:43:39.559
Man. Well, I can tell
you're going to be a ballplayer.
592
00:43:40.119 --> 00:43:45.079
Son as his mom. I can
tell there's a slight frustration inside of him.
593
00:43:45.480 --> 00:43:49.119
No, I don't even play baseball. Check out, lady. Oh,
594
00:43:49.159 --> 00:43:51.679
I bet you're going to be a
basketball or soccer player, then,
595
00:43:52.320 --> 00:43:54.679
son, No, I don't play
any sports. It's just not my thing.
596
00:43:55.000 --> 00:43:59.280
There's nothing wrong with sports or anything. I just have other interests.
597
00:43:59.719 --> 00:44:05.400
Check lady, In a befuddled,
nearly astonished voice, what I have never
598
00:44:05.519 --> 00:44:09.039
met a kid that looks like you
that doesn't play sports? Man, chuckling,
599
00:44:09.760 --> 00:44:15.039
Right, never, they all do. My face was as red as
600
00:44:15.079 --> 00:44:17.079
my hair at this point. It
was so obviously clear what was happening.
601
00:44:17.599 --> 00:44:22.440
While I wanted so badly to step
in and protect my son from the ongoing
602
00:44:22.519 --> 00:44:25.760
racial stereotyping, I didn't. I
let him step into his own power,
603
00:44:25.800 --> 00:44:30.159
and he handled it brilliantly. Son, Well, of course you've never met
604
00:44:30.199 --> 00:44:34.559
a kid like me. I'm one
of a kind. There's not another person
605
00:44:34.719 --> 00:44:37.840
like me. Man, Well,
what do you want to be when you
606
00:44:37.880 --> 00:44:42.119
grow up? Son? I'm here
to help people. I'm here to inspire
607
00:44:42.519 --> 00:44:45.719
now. Man, Oh, so
you're going to be a doctor, as
608
00:44:45.760 --> 00:44:50.760
he laughed while he said it,
not kidding, Son, No, I'm
609
00:44:50.760 --> 00:44:54.400
not man, While being a doctor
is the best way to help people.
610
00:44:54.599 --> 00:44:59.199
What are you going to do to
help and inspire people? Son, putting
611
00:44:59.199 --> 00:45:01.800
the last of the bag in the
cart. I'm going to be myself no
612
00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:06.000
matter how much people try to make
me something. I am not. Have
613
00:45:06.119 --> 00:45:10.159
a great night, flashes ginormous smile. I think this kid will be all
614
00:45:10.280 --> 00:45:15.119
right no matter what is tossed at
him. What did you think of that?
615
00:45:16.199 --> 00:45:19.719
Just? I mean, I don't
know what to think of it.
616
00:45:19.719 --> 00:45:22.280
I think it's all made up,
is what I think. Yeah, I
617
00:45:22.320 --> 00:45:24.000
don't think people talk like that.
I don't. I don't. I mean,
618
00:45:24.000 --> 00:45:28.519
I know there is stereotyping for sure, and so I don't doubt that
619
00:45:28.519 --> 00:45:30.519
that happens to people, But that
just whole it just sounds like a made
620
00:45:30.599 --> 00:45:34.920
up story for social media. I
have never met a kid that looks like
621
00:45:35.079 --> 00:45:37.199
you that doesn't play sports. I
mean, come on, And the way
622
00:45:37.360 --> 00:45:42.880
like the punctuation in this post is
just yeah, I don't know. It
623
00:45:42.960 --> 00:45:45.480
just all gives me a big dick. Yep. Well, thank you for
624
00:45:45.519 --> 00:45:51.000
reading that. You did a splendid
job. One of the friends who contacted
625
00:45:51.079 --> 00:45:54.159
CPS said, quote, the kids
pose and are made to look like one
626
00:45:54.280 --> 00:45:58.880
big, happy family, but after
the photo event, they go back to
627
00:45:58.920 --> 00:46:02.679
looking lifeless. A hug heard around
the world got a lot of attention and
628
00:46:02.719 --> 00:46:07.280
a request for interviews. Jen claimed
that they received offers to make a reality
629
00:46:07.320 --> 00:46:12.599
show. She refused, saying she
wanted to protect her children's right to privacy,
630
00:46:12.719 --> 00:46:15.800
but in reality, she was probably
afraid the Heart family if they received
631
00:46:15.840 --> 00:46:21.599
too much attention the CPS reports would
become public and jeopardize her custody of the
632
00:46:21.679 --> 00:46:25.199
kids and the checks that continued to
come from the state of Texas. Jen
633
00:46:25.320 --> 00:46:30.360
said she got a lot of hate
and death threats after the attention the hug
634
00:46:30.360 --> 00:46:34.360
garnered. People said the picture was
posed, or Davante was an actor,
635
00:46:34.559 --> 00:46:37.039
or DeVante was crying because she had
forced him to hug the police officer.
636
00:46:37.599 --> 00:46:42.840
After the fierce reaction to the picture, the family became more reclusive and was
637
00:46:42.840 --> 00:46:46.400
seen in public less frequently. Jen
took a six month hiatus from Facebook and
638
00:46:46.480 --> 00:46:52.079
social media after posting the following I
understand many of you have stumbled upon the
639
00:46:52.159 --> 00:46:55.960
dark side of the media. As
of late, things have been twisted and
640
00:46:57.079 --> 00:47:00.519
used for various reasons. I can't
control that, and I cannot allow that
641
00:47:00.559 --> 00:47:05.519
to control me. What other people
think is none of my business. I
642
00:47:05.599 --> 00:47:09.599
know what really happened and how Davante
truly feels about that encounter, and that's
643
00:47:09.760 --> 00:47:15.480
all that matters to us. So
she did have a big social media presidence,
644
00:47:15.519 --> 00:47:17.000
and then she kind of withdrew a
little bit. I'm a little surprised
645
00:47:17.039 --> 00:47:20.960
to hear that, actually, because
it seems like they really thrived. Did
646
00:47:21.000 --> 00:47:24.480
they really, you know, like
that was she attention? But after the
647
00:47:25.880 --> 00:47:32.199
hug picture, they really did get
some departs. Yeah, they were legitimate.
648
00:47:32.440 --> 00:47:36.280
I saw some of them, and
you know that is unpleasant, and
649
00:47:36.840 --> 00:47:38.239
you can't You can't blame her for
that. You can blame her for a
650
00:47:38.239 --> 00:47:42.280
lot of other things. So I
should have said earlier, like DeVante when
651
00:47:42.280 --> 00:47:45.400
they were asking him if he played
baseball and he said no, Well,
652
00:47:45.400 --> 00:47:49.079
the kids never left the darn house. How could they be on a baseball
653
00:47:49.079 --> 00:47:51.800
team? Good point. As far
as I know, they didn't do any
654
00:47:51.840 --> 00:47:55.119
activities outside of the home. Yeah, okay, this is where the story
655
00:47:55.119 --> 00:48:00.000
starts, starts to take a little
turn. Okay. In twenty seventeen,
656
00:48:00.199 --> 00:48:04.559
the Hearts moved to Woodland, Washington. They bought a house in an unincorporated
657
00:48:04.559 --> 00:48:07.960
secluded area. Sarah worked at a
Kohle's department store as an assistant manager,
658
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:12.679
working long hours, while Jen continued
to stay home with the kids, sometimes
659
00:48:12.679 --> 00:48:17.119
traveling to music festivals or national parks. In September twenty seventeen, the Heart's
660
00:48:17.159 --> 00:48:22.519
neighbors, Dana and Bruce to Kelb, were awoken by frantic knocking on their
661
00:48:22.559 --> 00:48:28.480
front door. Hannah Hart, whom
the Kelbs hadn't been familiar with, ran
662
00:48:28.599 --> 00:48:32.360
into their house begging them for help. They had briefly met Sarah Hart,
663
00:48:32.400 --> 00:48:37.840
but they didn't even know children were
living next door. Hannah was wrapped in
664
00:48:37.880 --> 00:48:40.800
a blanket and covered in BlackBerry brambles
and scratches from running through the woods that
665
00:48:40.840 --> 00:48:45.760
separated the properties at night after jumping
out of a second story window. She
666
00:48:45.920 --> 00:48:50.599
was sixteen years old at the time, but that Kelbs thought she was seven
667
00:48:50.679 --> 00:48:54.159
or eight. Her front teeth were
missing. She frantically told them that her
668
00:48:54.199 --> 00:48:59.679
parents were abuse of racists and they
beat her with a belt. Outside,
669
00:48:59.760 --> 00:49:04.679
her family was calling her name and
searching for her with flashlights. She ran
670
00:49:04.800 --> 00:49:07.280
up the stairs and hid in the
corner of the Kelb's bedroom and begged them
671
00:49:07.400 --> 00:49:12.400
not to tell her parents where she
was. Her mother's barged into the house
672
00:49:12.480 --> 00:49:15.880
and explained that Hannah had been having
a rough time with her brother, but
673
00:49:15.960 --> 00:49:20.679
assured them that she was fine.
Jennifer made Hannah apologize for the incident.
674
00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:23.719
She stayed and talk with the neighbors
and told them that the kids were all
675
00:49:23.800 --> 00:49:29.599
drug babies and that Hannah's birth mother
had bipolar disorder, which she did,
676
00:49:29.679 --> 00:49:34.280
but still that didn't mean that Hannah
had right polar disorder. She claimed that
677
00:49:34.320 --> 00:49:37.360
Hannah was twelve and small for her
age. Remember she was sixteen sixteen.
678
00:49:38.599 --> 00:49:44.360
Her front teeth had been knocked out
in an accident, and Hannah allegedly didn't
679
00:49:44.360 --> 00:49:46.559
want them replaced, which, yeah, right, and he's sixteen year old
680
00:49:46.559 --> 00:49:51.960
and would be fine. Yeah.
At six thirty am the morning after the
681
00:49:52.000 --> 00:49:54.679
incident with Hannah, I'm sure that
the Kelps were really happy, like four
682
00:49:54.679 --> 00:49:59.639
hours later to hear them knocking at
the door. At their door, the
683
00:49:59.679 --> 00:50:02.880
t Keel received a letter from her
that read, Dear Dana and Bruce,
684
00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:07.880
I stopped by this morning because I
feel horrible about disturbing your peace and worrying
685
00:50:07.960 --> 00:50:10.119
you in the middle of the night. I was very frustrated with my brother
686
00:50:10.239 --> 00:50:15.280
and didn't handle things very maturely and
I'm sorry for telling lies to get attention.
687
00:50:15.760 --> 00:50:19.239
I am working on being more honest
and finding better ways to communicate my
688
00:50:19.280 --> 00:50:23.000
frustrations. I've been pretty sad about
two of my cats dying recently, so
689
00:50:23.199 --> 00:50:27.840
I was just very sad and frustrated
last night. Thank you for being kind
690
00:50:28.119 --> 00:50:31.320
Hannah. Yeah, that sounds exactly
like something a sixteen year old would write.
691
00:50:31.559 --> 00:50:34.760
I mean, I was so happy
when she escaped. I was like,
692
00:50:34.840 --> 00:50:37.880
go, Hanna, get out of
there. Dana wanted to report the
693
00:50:37.920 --> 00:50:42.559
Hearts for child abuse, but Bruce
encouraged her to stay out of the matter.
694
00:50:43.320 --> 00:50:45.920
Dana told her dad Steve, the
bizarre story. He couldn't stop thinking
695
00:50:46.000 --> 00:50:50.199
of Hannah and the trouble she might
be in. He called the police in
696
00:50:50.239 --> 00:50:54.400
November of twenty seventeen. There's some
kids that I feel is being highly abused.
697
00:50:55.360 --> 00:50:59.079
And how I know. Okay,
I'm going to give to the address
698
00:50:59.199 --> 00:51:01.920
of my daughter house because it's right
next door. Yeah, if you're going
699
00:51:02.000 --> 00:51:06.039
up the road to her house,
it's a house on the right, okay.
700
00:51:06.079 --> 00:51:08.440
And what's going on there, Well, they have black children with that
701
00:51:08.480 --> 00:51:13.760
part doesn't matter, and they're new
here. But the other night the little
702
00:51:13.800 --> 00:51:16.920
girls jumped out of the second story
window on the roof and then down onto
703
00:51:16.960 --> 00:51:21.400
the ground and ran to my daughter. And this is like two in the
704
00:51:21.440 --> 00:51:24.119
morning, begging them to help her, to help her, and when they
705
00:51:24.159 --> 00:51:28.760
came looking for her, if she
was begging my daughter not to let them
706
00:51:28.800 --> 00:51:32.039
know she was there. And then
eventually my son in law let him know.
707
00:51:32.360 --> 00:51:36.280
He doesn't want to get involved.
But the more I sit on it,
708
00:51:36.400 --> 00:51:38.559
I just can't live with it.
Somebody's got to go there and check
709
00:51:38.599 --> 00:51:43.159
out. And so how old was
the little kid that did that your daughter's
710
00:51:43.199 --> 00:51:46.840
house? About twelve years old?
Thirteen? And then she had all four
711
00:51:46.880 --> 00:51:52.519
of the kids come back later and
to say everything was okay, and they're
712
00:51:52.559 --> 00:51:55.880
all standing at attention like they were
just scared to death. And I think
713
00:51:55.920 --> 00:52:01.159
there's something very serious going on there
here from Texas. The kids might even
714
00:52:01.199 --> 00:52:07.639
be kidnapped. And basically my son
in law is like most people, they
715
00:52:07.639 --> 00:52:10.679
don't want to get involved, and
so he's keeping my daughter out of it.
716
00:52:10.719 --> 00:52:14.639
But since she's told me about it, I just can't live with it.
717
00:52:15.320 --> 00:52:20.280
I'm very concerned for these kids.
Good for that man, Steve's my
718
00:52:20.320 --> 00:52:23.039
hero. I mean, I'm so
glad he did that. Yeah, I
719
00:52:23.039 --> 00:52:28.519
don't want to judge the de Kelps, but if that happened, you and
720
00:52:28.559 --> 00:52:32.119
I would not get a wink of
sleep. We would call the police.
721
00:52:32.519 --> 00:52:37.719
I don't think we would hesitate,
Yeah, for sure. Neighbors recalled that
722
00:52:37.760 --> 00:52:40.639
the children were rarely, if ever
outside, the blinds were always tightly closed
723
00:52:40.639 --> 00:52:44.639
in the home. None of the
children had a cellphone or were allowed to
724
00:52:44.719 --> 00:52:49.599
use the computer, and in twenty
seventeen, the kid's ages ranged from twelve
725
00:52:49.679 --> 00:52:52.159
to seventeen. I'm sorry, twelve
to nineteen. They're not little kids anymore.
726
00:52:53.000 --> 00:52:57.440
They should have been spending time with
friends, exploring the world independently and
727
00:52:57.480 --> 00:53:00.559
figuring out who they were and how
they fit into the world. The heart
728
00:53:00.639 --> 00:53:05.760
kids didn't have any friends as far
as I can tell, outside of their
729
00:53:05.760 --> 00:53:12.199
siblings, and they had absolutely no
autonomy. On March fifteenth, twenty eighteen,
730
00:53:12.440 --> 00:53:15.679
Bruce de kelb was working on his
car in the driveway when Davante approached
731
00:53:15.760 --> 00:53:21.199
him and asked him for food.
And the other incident happened in November,
732
00:53:21.280 --> 00:53:24.559
so nothing happened from that. There
was an investigation, but you know,
733
00:53:24.639 --> 00:53:29.960
the kids remained in the home.
Davante approached him and asked him for food,
734
00:53:30.280 --> 00:53:32.880
He told Bruce that his mother's withheld
food from the children as punishment,
735
00:53:34.280 --> 00:53:38.239
sometimes for days at a time.
Davante returned to the Kelbs about twelve more
736
00:53:38.320 --> 00:53:42.239
times over the week, multiple times
a day, and asked for fruit,
737
00:53:42.599 --> 00:53:46.280
protein bars, cured meat, and
other non perishable food. He asked them
738
00:53:46.320 --> 00:53:50.159
to put the food in a box
by the fence and not to call the
739
00:53:50.199 --> 00:53:54.280
police or CPS because he didn't want
to be separated from his siblings. Davante
740
00:53:54.320 --> 00:54:00.360
told the JCLBS that everything Hannah had
told them about their home life was true,
741
00:54:00.679 --> 00:54:05.159
and they didn't call CPS, not
yet, can you imagine? I
742
00:54:06.079 --> 00:54:07.039
mean, I don't Again, I
don't want to judge them. I know
743
00:54:07.079 --> 00:54:10.880
they meant well and they did give
the kids food, but still I got
744
00:54:10.920 --> 00:54:15.400
to report that. Okay. So
I'm going to briefly go through the timeline
745
00:54:15.440 --> 00:54:17.239
just because like so much has happened, just so you have like a better
746
00:54:17.400 --> 00:54:22.119
idea. In two thousand and four, that's when Sarah and Hannah became foster
747
00:54:22.239 --> 00:54:28.880
parents. Two thousand and six,
that's when the first three were adopted and
748
00:54:28.880 --> 00:54:31.760
they came to Minnesota. In two
thousand and eight is the first involvement with
749
00:54:31.840 --> 00:54:37.760
CPS and then DeVante, Jeremiah,
and Sierra were adopted. In twenty ten
750
00:54:37.840 --> 00:54:43.440
to twenty eleven, six child abuse
claims were filed against the Hearts. Sarah
751
00:54:43.480 --> 00:54:46.239
pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one
year probation. The children were pulled out
752
00:54:46.239 --> 00:54:52.239
of public school for good. Twenty
thirteen, Sarah's probation was up and they
753
00:54:52.280 --> 00:54:58.039
moved to Oregon. Twenty fourteen is
the picture of when the picture of DeVante
754
00:54:58.079 --> 00:55:02.239
went viral and the family became a
li more reclusive. Twenty seventeen is when
755
00:55:02.280 --> 00:55:07.480
they moved to Washington, Hannah escaped
and Davante starts asking for food. On
756
00:55:07.519 --> 00:55:13.239
March twenty third, Davante returned and
asked the Decalps for food one last time.
757
00:55:13.639 --> 00:55:17.239
Dana decides to call CPS and they
paid a visit to the house that
758
00:55:17.400 --> 00:55:22.719
very day, but no one answered
the door. Sarah left her job at
759
00:55:22.760 --> 00:55:27.280
Cohle's and a scene for the last
time publicly. On March twenty fourth,
760
00:55:27.280 --> 00:55:30.199
at three am, Sarah texted her
coworker from Cole's and told her that she
761
00:55:30.280 --> 00:55:34.679
was too sick to come to work
and would not be able to open the
762
00:55:34.719 --> 00:55:39.159
store that day. And this wasn't
characteristic of Sarah at all. She always
763
00:55:39.159 --> 00:55:45.239
went to work. On March twenty
fourth, Dana, who Dina, became
764
00:55:45.280 --> 00:55:49.239
obsessed with watching the house. She
didn't call CPS, but I think she
765
00:55:49.360 --> 00:55:51.559
wanted to, and she had a
lot of guilt, so she was like
766
00:55:51.639 --> 00:55:54.280
watching the house all the time for
something to happen. So on March twenty
767
00:55:54.320 --> 00:55:59.079
fourth, she noticed that the yukon
was not in the driveway and a retaining
768
00:55:59.119 --> 00:56:01.239
wall had been damned famaged. In
the heart's haste to leave the house,
769
00:56:01.760 --> 00:56:07.159
CPS returned twice more, but no
one ever answered the door. Later that
770
00:56:07.239 --> 00:56:10.519
day, the family is believed to
be about one hundred and sixty miles away
771
00:56:10.519 --> 00:56:15.760
from their home in Newport, Oregon, and by that evening they were in
772
00:56:16.079 --> 00:56:22.840
Fort Bragg, California, so they're
just driving along the down coast. March
773
00:56:22.880 --> 00:56:25.039
twenty fifth, at eight am,
Jennifer Hart is seen for the last time
774
00:56:25.199 --> 00:56:30.280
on surveillance camera entering a Safeway in
Fort Bragg, California, where she purchased
775
00:56:30.320 --> 00:56:36.639
bananas, saltines, and chef Boyerd
Revuoli for twenty dollars and eight cents,
776
00:56:36.679 --> 00:56:39.719
paying cash and using a member card, which is kind of strange. I
777
00:56:39.719 --> 00:56:44.679
can feel myself like starting to tear
up because I know what's coming. Yeah.
778
00:56:44.719 --> 00:56:47.320
On March twenty six, at ten
am, the CPS caseworker returned to
779
00:56:47.320 --> 00:56:52.320
the Heart home for the final time
and called police to complete a welfare check
780
00:56:52.320 --> 00:56:55.159
at the home after no one answered
the door. At one pm, Sarah's
781
00:56:55.159 --> 00:57:00.599
coworker, Cheryl Hart no relation,
also called for a welfare check after not
782
00:57:00.679 --> 00:57:05.599
hearing from Sarah for several days.
Here's a short clip because I was calling
783
00:57:05.639 --> 00:57:07.920
the seething that wilfare just done.
Okay and her? Are we checking on
784
00:57:08.320 --> 00:57:13.119
Sarah Hart? Tell me the reason
that we're checking on her. She sent
785
00:57:13.159 --> 00:57:15.880
out a text message at three o'clock
in the morning on Saturday morning stating that
786
00:57:15.960 --> 00:57:20.679
she was sick, but nobody's said
be able to get a hold of her,
787
00:57:21.000 --> 00:57:25.639
talk to her or seeing her since
that time. Message okay or her
788
00:57:25.719 --> 00:57:30.719
wife was his gen So was just
concerned? Okay? And did she when
789
00:57:30.719 --> 00:57:32.840
she said she was sex? Did
she say what was going on? Or
790
00:57:34.039 --> 00:57:37.679
she just said that she just is
unable to come out and wasn't able to
791
00:57:37.719 --> 00:57:42.280
go to work and thought she was
going to have to go to the doctor.
792
00:57:43.079 --> 00:57:46.320
I checked the hospitals. They didn't
have any records of her and I
793
00:57:46.440 --> 00:57:52.400
think her phone is now dead.
Okay, and just the two of them
794
00:57:52.440 --> 00:57:58.360
live there. They have six children, okay. Any non medical history,
795
00:57:58.639 --> 00:58:00.800
not that I'm aware of. No, she has been sick. I think
796
00:58:00.800 --> 00:58:05.559
it's like a cold. Okay.
Has she been so svital at all?
797
00:58:05.679 --> 00:58:12.320
Or see not that I'm aware.
Doesn't sound good, does it. A
798
00:58:12.360 --> 00:58:16.519
man camping with his wife in an
RV near highway in northern California heard tires
799
00:58:16.519 --> 00:58:22.559
crunching gravel on March twenty fifth,
twenty eighteen, just after eleven pm.
800
00:58:22.000 --> 00:58:27.000
He peeked out and saw a large
suv, but no one exited the vehicle.
801
00:58:27.480 --> 00:58:30.199
He assumed someone had parked there just
to get a few hours of sleep.
802
00:58:30.760 --> 00:58:32.760
He went to bed, but was
awakened at three am when he heard
803
00:58:32.760 --> 00:58:37.559
the SUV's engine come to life and
fade off into the distance. Moments later,
804
00:58:37.599 --> 00:58:40.400
off in the distance, he heard
the screech of tires and faint screams.
805
00:58:40.440 --> 00:58:45.199
He convinced himself that he was just
hearing animals. At three thirty pm
806
00:58:45.239 --> 00:58:51.880
on March twenty six a tourists spotted
the hearts crushed GMC yukon suv at the
807
00:58:51.880 --> 00:58:55.320
bottom of the cliff. It took
emergency responders until midnight for the difficult recovery
808
00:58:55.320 --> 00:58:59.639
of the Heart family and their vehicle. Jen and Sarah were found in the
809
00:58:59.679 --> 00:59:04.159
Yuka Marcus, Jeremiah, and Abby
were thrown from the vehicle and found on
810
00:59:04.199 --> 00:59:08.119
the rocks nearby. A month's long
search ensued for the remaining family members.
811
00:59:09.039 --> 00:59:14.239
Volunteers searched forty five miles along the
coast searching for DeVante, Hannah, and
812
00:59:14.280 --> 00:59:19.079
Sierra. The crash was at first
thought to be an accident in law enforcement
813
00:59:19.119 --> 00:59:22.639
hope the missing children hadn't been on
the trip and were somewhere safe, But
814
00:59:22.760 --> 00:59:28.760
as the investigation unfolded, it became
obvious that it was something else. When
815
00:59:28.760 --> 00:59:34.119
you start putting the totality of everything
together, you would be a village idiot
816
00:59:34.159 --> 00:59:42.840
if you didn't think that you know
something. Who's rotten here? If on
817
00:59:42.960 --> 00:59:46.599
day one I had said gauxious was
an intentional act and it was homicide,
818
00:59:46.920 --> 00:59:51.480
oh can you imagine? People would
have said, who are you to make
819
00:59:51.519 --> 00:59:57.480
that determination? You know who would
kill six kids? I'm a dad who
820
00:59:57.519 --> 01:00:01.679
would kill six kids. But if
this is not an accident, that means
821
01:00:01.719 --> 01:00:08.159
one thing means it was a crime. If it's a crime, it's part
822
01:00:08.199 --> 01:00:15.559
of it. At the very beginning, when I said I have no reason
823
01:00:15.559 --> 01:00:19.000
to believe this is anything but an
accident, I believed it. But that
824
01:00:19.119 --> 01:00:28.320
changed when things started developing from a
traffic accident to a homicide investigation. That's
825
01:00:28.360 --> 01:00:31.000
not a baby step, that's a
big leap, but it is what it
826
01:00:31.079 --> 01:00:37.719
is. That was Tom Allman,
former sheriff coroner of Mendocino County, who
827
01:00:37.760 --> 01:00:42.199
was in charge of the heart investigation. Sarah Hart's Google searches and the hours
828
01:00:42.239 --> 01:00:46.360
before her death became important evidence.
They included his death from drowning relatively painless.
829
01:00:46.440 --> 01:00:50.599
How long does it take to die
from hypothermia and water while drowning in
830
01:00:50.599 --> 01:00:55.320
a car? How can I easily
overdose on OTC medicine? What OTC medications
831
01:00:55.360 --> 01:01:00.880
can you take to overdose? What
will happen when overdosing with menadrill? Sarah
832
01:01:00.880 --> 01:01:06.320
also googled no kill shelters for their
dogs. On April seventh, twenty eighteen,
833
01:01:06.440 --> 01:01:10.559
Sierra's body washed ashore. Hannah's foot
was found on a nearby beach on
834
01:01:10.599 --> 01:01:15.880
May ninth, but it took ten
months to identify to identify it until her
835
01:01:15.880 --> 01:01:21.800
birth mother came forward and offer her
DNA. A DNA match was necessary because
836
01:01:21.840 --> 01:01:23.760
there were no dental records. As
far as law enforcement could tell, the
837
01:01:23.880 --> 01:01:30.639
children had never visited a dentist.
The confirmation of Hannah's death dashed hopes that
838
01:01:30.679 --> 01:01:35.880
she and Davante might have escaped the
horrific situation. How you doing over there?
839
01:01:36.599 --> 01:01:39.119
I'm hanging in there. It's rough. I can't even yeah, I
840
01:01:39.199 --> 01:01:45.360
just can't even imagine. Yeah.
The autopsy found that Sarah had forty two
841
01:01:45.400 --> 01:01:50.320
doses of venadryl in her body,
Marcus had nineteen, Abby fourteen, and
842
01:01:50.440 --> 01:01:54.480
Jeremiah nine. Jen was legally drunk. Her blood alcohol level was point one
843
01:01:54.559 --> 01:02:00.000
oh two, the equivalent of about
five drinks. Point eight or high.
844
01:02:00.400 --> 01:02:05.519
Is considered too intoxicated to drive.
Liquid and pill forms of Benadryla were purchased
845
01:02:05.519 --> 01:02:09.320
in Washington at Walmart shortly after leaving
their home, indicating the murders had been
846
01:02:09.360 --> 01:02:14.840
premeditated. The cause of death for
all members of the Heart family was a
847
01:02:14.840 --> 01:02:17.559
broken neck. So were the three
kids that weren't found in the car.
848
01:02:17.639 --> 01:02:22.079
Were they in the car but thrown
from the vehicle or were they killed in
849
01:02:22.159 --> 01:02:24.800
a different way? Yeah, they
were, And I think police were confused.
850
01:02:24.880 --> 01:02:29.480
Yeah, to no. They I
mean, I will post pictures and
851
01:02:29.519 --> 01:02:36.320
you'll see that the the bottom of
the cliff where the vehicle landed. It's
852
01:02:36.360 --> 01:02:39.440
on this rocky beach, but it's
right up against so I think, you
853
01:02:39.480 --> 01:02:43.920
know, yeah, they were just
thrown from the car and they weren't found
854
01:02:43.960 --> 01:02:47.400
until later. Okay. Authorities ruled
the deaths of the Heart family intentional,
855
01:02:47.639 --> 01:02:52.119
but felt a jury should decide.
Tom Alman, the sheriff coroner, opened
856
01:02:52.119 --> 01:02:57.280
an inquest in Mendocino County. So
in California, a lot of counties use
857
01:02:58.000 --> 01:03:00.519
the sheriff. Sheriff is also the
coroner. Mm hmm, which seems like
858
01:03:00.559 --> 01:03:06.920
a huge workload. On April fourth, a jury of fourteen chose from four
859
01:03:06.960 --> 01:03:10.440
manners of death for each of the
eight people who died natural causes, suicide,
860
01:03:10.639 --> 01:03:15.760
accident, or homicide. Despite his
body never being found, A judge
861
01:03:15.760 --> 01:03:20.679
had rolled Davante dead last night.
My voice started getting horse and I was
862
01:03:20.719 --> 01:03:22.440
losing my voice. That I was
actually kind of happy because I was like,
863
01:03:22.480 --> 01:03:27.639
oh,'ch is gonna have to
You're going to have to do this
864
01:03:27.639 --> 01:03:31.679
this story. Today, jurors heard
testimony from eight police officers, a medical
865
01:03:31.679 --> 01:03:36.519
examiner, and viewed more than one
dozen exhibits. Among the evidence was the
866
01:03:36.599 --> 01:03:40.119
lack of skid marks or other signs
of breaking before the Yukon plummeted to the
867
01:03:40.199 --> 01:03:45.039
rocky beach, and no one was
wearing a seatbelt. Investigator said it appeared
868
01:03:45.039 --> 01:03:51.519
that the suv stopped about seventy feet
from the cliff's edge, then quickly accelerated
869
01:03:51.559 --> 01:03:53.679
to twenty miles per hour at full
throttle, which I know that doesn't sound
870
01:03:53.760 --> 01:03:59.679
really fast, but there was much
ground to get the speed up. The
871
01:03:59.719 --> 01:04:03.760
Heart's GPS washed ashore weeks later after
the crash, and that was critical evidence.
872
01:04:04.760 --> 01:04:09.519
In under an hour, the jurors
unanimously determined that the manner of death
873
01:04:09.559 --> 01:04:13.119
for Sarah and Jennifer Hart was suicide
and the deaths of the six children was
874
01:04:13.159 --> 01:04:17.880
homicide. Mendocino County Sheriff Lieutenant Shannon
Barney said, quote, it is my
875
01:04:18.000 --> 01:04:21.760
belief that both Jennifer and Sarah succumbed
to a lot of pressure, just a
876
01:04:21.800 --> 01:04:25.360
lot of stuff going on in their
lives, to the point where they made
877
01:04:25.400 --> 01:04:30.039
this conscious decision to end their lives
this way and take their children's lives end
878
01:04:30.119 --> 01:04:33.960
quote. After the crash, law
enforcement entered the Heart home in Washington to
879
01:04:34.000 --> 01:04:38.920
look for evidence as to the whereabouts
of the three missing children and a possible
880
01:04:38.960 --> 01:04:43.880
motive. No suicide note was found
or proved that Devonte, Hannah, or
881
01:04:43.960 --> 01:04:47.679
Sierra could be alive. Investigators said
that it didn't look like the children lived
882
01:04:47.679 --> 01:04:51.239
in the home. It was organized
and tidy, and sadly, there weren't
883
01:04:51.360 --> 01:04:58.480
enough beds for eight children. Despite
claiming to have a strict organic vegetarian diet,
884
01:04:58.519 --> 01:05:02.440
the refrigerator and freezer were full of
meat and processed foods, and there
885
01:05:02.519 --> 01:05:06.239
was a large bowl of fruit on
the counter, which I don't care if
886
01:05:06.239 --> 01:05:11.920
they were eating. They had meat
in their house, but feed your kids.
887
01:05:12.440 --> 01:05:15.440
There was no reason for these kids
to go hungry. There were open
888
01:05:15.480 --> 01:05:18.519
bottles of wine in the counter,
despite Jen's claims that she never drank.
889
01:05:18.840 --> 01:05:23.519
In the basement, there was a
large screen TV. On Facebook, Jen
890
01:05:23.559 --> 01:05:28.079
had proudly claimed that they had given
up TV for the best big screen available
891
01:05:28.280 --> 01:05:31.760
planet Earth. So, like we
see so often in these situations, their
892
01:05:31.840 --> 01:05:36.559
social media life was really just a
big lie, right for sure. I
893
01:05:36.599 --> 01:05:41.960
think it's who they maybe wanted to
be, it's not who they were in
894
01:05:42.039 --> 01:05:46.079
reality. We'll never know what the
motive was for gen and Sarah killing themselves
895
01:05:46.119 --> 01:05:49.719
and their children. But we do
know that CPS was closing in on them.
896
01:05:49.920 --> 01:05:54.199
They were fourteen thousand dollars in debt, and Jen had been pretending to
897
01:05:54.199 --> 01:05:59.039
be the perfect parent for over a
decade. As their six children approached adulthood,
898
01:05:59.199 --> 01:06:02.440
Adulthood and Sarah may have realized they
no longer had the ability or right
899
01:06:02.519 --> 01:06:05.760
to control them. Whatever the reason, it was no fault of these six
900
01:06:05.800 --> 01:06:11.079
remarkable young people who had been through
so much in their short lives. Perhaps
901
01:06:11.119 --> 01:06:14.920
Jen and Sarah originally had the best
intentions and found themselves over their heads and
902
01:06:15.000 --> 01:06:18.159
felt like they didn't have anyone to
turn to because they wanted to be the
903
01:06:18.400 --> 01:06:25.519
ideal modern family and got caught up
in curating this perfection, sacrificing the actual
904
01:06:26.079 --> 01:06:30.480
happiness and well being of their children. I don't know. I don't know
905
01:06:30.480 --> 01:06:34.599
what the motive would have been,
but it's just disgusting and horrible. Well,
906
01:06:34.639 --> 01:06:40.159
and knowing that other people loved these
children. Yeah, friends of Jen
907
01:06:40.199 --> 01:06:46.280
and Sarah have ardently defended them.
The kids were angels. They always beamed
908
01:06:46.320 --> 01:06:51.800
with smiles. The Hard Family,
in my mind, are some of the
909
01:06:51.840 --> 01:06:57.599
most precious beings on the earth.
That we've met. Anytime they would show
910
01:06:57.679 --> 01:07:02.079
up to an event, they would
show up with just an overwhelming energy of
911
01:07:02.119 --> 01:07:08.400
love. The Heart family were such
a great and still are a living legacy
912
01:07:08.480 --> 01:07:13.400
of bringing our people together in the
importance of community and the importance of racial
913
01:07:13.400 --> 01:07:17.159
equality and the importance of freedom.
And they took day by day, hour
914
01:07:17.199 --> 01:07:21.639
to hour, moment to moment to
help them rejuvenate and help teach them the
915
01:07:21.800 --> 01:07:28.800
language and help teach them how to
be here with community. They really found
916
01:07:28.800 --> 01:07:31.800
the goodness and everybody and I hope
that we can all really learn a really
917
01:07:31.800 --> 01:07:39.199
beautiful lesson in that and carry that
legacy on. Okay, I don't think
918
01:07:39.280 --> 01:07:44.079
so. It's maddening. Well,
I mean part of that clip it sounded
919
01:07:44.119 --> 01:07:45.920
like, you know, they were
talking about the kids, which I'm like,
920
01:07:45.000 --> 01:07:48.039
okay, yeah, but yeah,
it sounds like they're kind of defending
921
01:07:48.599 --> 01:07:53.880
Jen and Sarah, like that they
built this beautiful family and they should,
922
01:07:54.000 --> 01:07:56.840
you know, I mean, these
people are clearly in denial. Yeah.
923
01:07:57.039 --> 01:08:00.679
Jamie Herman's a friend of Jen's since
high school, said the women were devoted
924
01:08:00.760 --> 01:08:04.360
parents. She said people who never
knew them are jumping to offensive and hurtful
925
01:08:04.440 --> 01:08:10.039
conclusions about their motives and their parenting. Quote were they perfect? No,
926
01:08:10.239 --> 01:08:13.559
but they are not the monsters they
are being painted as. The amount of
927
01:08:13.599 --> 01:08:16.119
love and good that they put into
this world is what their legacy should be.
928
01:08:16.520 --> 01:08:21.439
End of quote. I'm sorry,
I can't. Stacy Patten, an
929
01:08:21.520 --> 01:08:27.479
assistant professor of multimedia journalism at Morgan
State University, said the reaction to the
930
01:08:27.520 --> 01:08:31.279
heart case is complicated. Quote.
Anytime black bodies are killed as a result
931
01:08:31.279 --> 01:08:34.880
of something white people have done,
there is an almost intuitive response from white
932
01:08:34.880 --> 01:08:39.880
people that we shouldn't rush to judgment. We don't have all the facts.
933
01:08:40.199 --> 01:08:43.960
White people are constantly given the benefit
of the doubt despite the evidence that we
934
01:08:44.079 --> 01:08:47.720
have. End quote. We talked
about this in the Ruby Frankie case that
935
01:08:47.760 --> 01:08:55.079
we did for Patreon. But a
parent's most basic responsibility is to provide their
936
01:08:55.159 --> 01:09:00.359
children with food, shelter, and
clothing. If those needs are not met,
937
01:09:00.399 --> 01:09:04.039
it's impossible for a children, for
a child to grow emotionally, physically,
938
01:09:05.039 --> 01:09:10.640
learn, socialize, love themselves,
or anyone else. Yeah, it
939
01:09:10.800 --> 01:09:15.520
just just infuriates me. Yeah,
me too. So part of the problem
940
01:09:15.560 --> 01:09:20.800
here is there is not a nationwide
registry for child abuse and child welfare,
941
01:09:20.960 --> 01:09:29.079
and that hopefully can be changed because
Jen and Sarah were able to have at
942
01:09:29.159 --> 01:09:33.760
least ten or more child abuse claims
over three states. Okay, so this
943
01:09:33.840 --> 01:09:38.000
is because they moved from one state
to another. You think that there wasn't
944
01:09:38.479 --> 01:09:41.800
as much follow up as there should
have been because they weren't tracked kind of
945
01:09:41.800 --> 01:09:45.399
across. Probably, Yeah, they
all, you know, cumulatively have been
946
01:09:45.439 --> 01:09:49.479
looked at. It could have had
a different outcome. Yeah. I just
947
01:09:49.479 --> 01:09:54.960
wanted to say a little something about
the kids as individuals if I can get
948
01:09:54.960 --> 01:10:00.439
through it. DeVante was sensitive,
the leader of the group, charismatic going
949
01:10:00.960 --> 01:10:04.479
and love to play his trumpet.
Jeremiah was a survivor, not expected to
950
01:10:04.520 --> 01:10:11.279
live long after his birth. Sierra
loved animals and her pet cat. Abigail
951
01:10:12.000 --> 01:10:15.479
loved to explore nature and yoga.
Marcus was quiet and studious, and he
952
01:10:15.600 --> 01:10:20.079
loved to read, and he read
Twilight in one sitting. Hannah was quiet
953
01:10:20.079 --> 01:10:24.760
and observant, more comfortable on the
periphery, but loved to dance and sing.
954
01:10:25.960 --> 01:10:30.359
Sorry, this just wrecks me.
Okay, that's so hard. Maybe
955
01:10:30.399 --> 01:10:34.960
all rest in peace and know how
well they were loved. I will never
956
01:10:35.000 --> 01:10:42.720
forget these kids. Man Dante,
the brother of Davante, Jeremiah, and
957
01:10:42.760 --> 01:10:46.600
Sierra has two sons of his own
today who have also entered the foster system.
958
01:10:47.560 --> 01:10:51.720
Dante, the cards were stacked against
Yeah. He has had several run
959
01:10:51.720 --> 01:10:57.119
ins with the law for theft and
domestic abuse. He has also had issues
960
01:10:57.159 --> 01:11:00.760
with drugs, and he's been in
game and he has not been able to
961
01:11:00.800 --> 01:11:06.600
hold a job. Roxanna Escarian,
author of We Were Once a Family,
962
01:11:06.680 --> 01:11:11.720
A Story of Love, Death and
child Removal in America, which was one
963
01:11:11.720 --> 01:11:15.760
of my sources, not only wrote
an informative and devastating book about the Heart
964
01:11:15.760 --> 01:11:19.199
Family and the birth families of Marcus, Hannah, Abigail, DeVante, Jeremia,
965
01:11:19.279 --> 01:11:24.800
and Sierra, she became a fearless
advocate for the birth families and personally
966
01:11:24.800 --> 01:11:28.840
made it her mission that they received
some of the remains of the children.
967
01:11:30.239 --> 01:11:33.319
The Heart and Gengler families would only
relinquish a portion of the ashes, but
968
01:11:33.399 --> 01:11:39.359
it was something for the children's birth
families to hold on too. I can't
969
01:11:39.399 --> 01:11:43.880
imagine how grateful they were to have
a tiny part of their children, except
970
01:11:43.880 --> 01:11:48.600
for DeVante, whose remains have never
been found. So that's the horrible story
971
01:11:48.640 --> 01:11:51.880
of the Heart Family. Well,
thank you for telling the story. It
972
01:11:51.960 --> 01:11:59.359
is horrible and I yeah, I
have no words. It's a tough one.
973
01:12:00.079 --> 01:12:02.680
You just can't wrap your head around
white people would do this, You
974
01:12:02.720 --> 01:12:09.680
really can't. It's just the obsession
of creating this image of perfection, white
975
01:12:09.760 --> 01:12:15.119
saviorism. These I don't know.
Sarah was not as bad as Jen,
976
01:12:15.560 --> 01:12:20.680
but she was complicit. She could
have stopped it. University of Michigan law
977
01:12:20.680 --> 01:12:27.520
professor Vivic Sankarum said, in our
system, once a child is adopted,
978
01:12:27.680 --> 01:12:30.960
we equate it with success, and
there is very little follow up. We
979
01:12:30.039 --> 01:12:33.600
actually know very little about the well
being of how kids from the foster care
980
01:12:33.680 --> 01:12:40.479
system do after they are adopted end
quote. Studies show that adopted children,
981
01:12:40.600 --> 01:12:45.439
even when placed early in life,
have more anxiety, depression, and mental
982
01:12:45.479 --> 01:12:49.079
health issues as compared to the general
population. Some of this stems from the
983
01:12:49.119 --> 01:12:56.520
biological parent, but also environmental factors
that arise in the adoptees new home.
984
01:12:58.199 --> 01:13:00.600
The thought that these three children were
better off with two white women states away
985
01:13:00.640 --> 01:13:05.279
from their family members that had once
fought so hard to adopt them is unacceptable.
986
01:13:05.560 --> 01:13:11.520
Poverty isn't neglect. Children are taken
away from their families as a punitive
987
01:13:11.560 --> 01:13:15.439
measure when other therapies could be administered. These families are plagued by addiction,
988
01:13:15.640 --> 01:13:19.399
poverty, mental illness, violence,
and trauma, and much of it is
989
01:13:19.439 --> 01:13:25.640
intergenerational and cyclical. It doesn't mean
that they don't love their children. Yeah,
990
01:13:26.279 --> 01:13:30.920
it's so tough, it's such a
complicated. Yeah, it's a criticize
991
01:13:30.960 --> 01:13:33.159
the system because I know that there's
a lot of people that work really hard
992
01:13:33.800 --> 01:13:38.159
and the best interests these kids.
And you know, you say, like,
993
01:13:38.279 --> 01:13:42.279
well, you know, the kids
shouldn't have been taken away from their
994
01:13:42.960 --> 01:13:46.359
their biological families, but in some
cases the children do need to be taken
995
01:13:46.359 --> 01:13:49.439
away from their biological families. It's
just, you know, not it's not
996
01:13:49.479 --> 01:13:54.000
a one size fits all answer.
Yeah, it's super complicated issue. And
997
01:13:54.800 --> 01:13:58.600
yeah, but in this case,
the kids were failed. It seems like
998
01:13:58.680 --> 01:14:02.199
numerous times, you know, start
to finish. Yeah, and keeping the
999
01:14:02.279 --> 01:14:06.399
children together is so important. And
my research like when at all possible,
1000
01:14:06.600 --> 01:14:12.760
kids should be placed with family members
and never separated from their siblings. That
1001
01:14:13.119 --> 01:14:17.640
leads to so much trauma. So
I mean, that's that's pretty much it.
1002
01:14:18.520 --> 01:14:25.800
Sorry for my emotion. That was
a tough one one putting it off,
1003
01:14:25.800 --> 01:14:28.560
but I really wanted to tell the
story, and I, yeah,
1004
01:14:28.600 --> 01:14:30.439
I'm glad you told the story.
I think it's an important story to tell,
1005
01:14:30.479 --> 01:14:34.319
and I think you did a great
job. I appreciate that. I
1006
01:14:34.319 --> 01:14:38.079
did want to talk about my sources
really quick, and as usual, I
1007
01:14:38.079 --> 01:14:40.560
have way too many, Like I
think you at one point you said to
1008
01:14:40.600 --> 01:14:44.640
me, stop, You're good,
But I just I always just want to
1009
01:14:44.680 --> 01:14:48.560
tell the story the best way I
can, and it's tough. There's a
1010
01:14:48.600 --> 01:14:54.479
podcast called Broken Hearts that I listened
to a year or two years ago that
1011
01:14:54.920 --> 01:14:58.880
I first learned about this story,
and they do a pretty good job.
1012
01:14:58.960 --> 01:15:03.079
But they and it seems like they
can mildly defend Jen and Sarah, and
1013
01:15:04.520 --> 01:15:08.560
I don't think that they deserve to
be defended. No, I don't think
1014
01:15:08.560 --> 01:15:12.079
so either. I'm sure they were
troubled and had issues, but to do
1015
01:15:12.119 --> 01:15:14.960
what they did, I can't.
Yeah, I can't defend that. I
1016
01:15:14.960 --> 01:15:19.239
can't defend it either. And also
I listened to I watched a documentary called
1017
01:15:19.319 --> 01:15:26.119
A Thread of Deceit and that was
horrible because it was also defended. Really
1018
01:15:26.359 --> 01:15:29.680
yeah, it was a lot of
their I think it might have been funded
1019
01:15:29.720 --> 01:15:33.359
by their festival friends. I'm not
sure, but there was a lot of
1020
01:15:33.399 --> 01:15:36.479
people saying, oh, you know, like that quote we heard, they
1021
01:15:36.880 --> 01:15:41.800
put a lot of good into the
world. There was also I do recommend
1022
01:15:41.920 --> 01:15:47.800
a documentary called Broken Hearts and I
watched it from HBO Max and that was
1023
01:15:48.039 --> 01:15:55.000
really well done. That one I
really enjoyed. And Roxtanna Ascarian's book was
1024
01:15:55.880 --> 01:15:59.520
so touching. We Were Once a
Family, a story of love, death
1025
01:15:59.520 --> 01:16:04.439
and child removal in America. I
can't recommend that enough. It's half of
1026
01:16:04.439 --> 01:16:08.800
it is about the Heart Family,
but the other half is more about the
1027
01:16:09.439 --> 01:16:13.000
system. The system. Yeah,
and she was in the system herself,
1028
01:16:13.079 --> 01:16:19.079
so she has interesting personal information.
So yeah, devastating story. Well again,
1029
01:16:19.119 --> 01:16:24.560
great job telling the story. Well
I will never forget those six beautiful
1030
01:16:24.600 --> 01:16:29.399
children who deserved so much more out
of life. Yeah, they deserved a
1031
01:16:29.479 --> 01:16:32.840
chance. Yeah. Well that's all
I have about the Heart Family. But
1032
01:16:32.960 --> 01:16:36.760
I did want to say thank you, a hearty thank you to everyone who
1033
01:16:36.840 --> 01:16:41.920
has left us reviews. We do
see them. We're so grateful, and
1034
01:16:42.119 --> 01:16:47.039
even people that interview up reviewed us
on good Pods. I didn't wait.
1035
01:16:47.079 --> 01:16:50.039
I opened that the other day.
I was excited to see some reviews there,
1036
01:16:50.039 --> 01:16:53.399
So thank you so much. Yeah, it really does mean a lot
1037
01:16:53.439 --> 01:16:57.439
to us along the same lines too, We got we got an email yesterday
1038
01:16:57.439 --> 01:17:00.880
that just it made us both cry. But it was from people are like,
1039
01:17:00.920 --> 01:17:03.640
well, you cry it anything,
Yeah, but it was from I
1040
01:17:03.680 --> 01:17:05.880
don't want to say who exactly it
was from, but it was from a
1041
01:17:05.960 --> 01:17:10.399
close family member of one of the
victims of our stories, and she wrote
1042
01:17:10.399 --> 01:17:13.920
to us to tell us how much
she appreciated the way that we told the
1043
01:17:13.960 --> 01:17:17.079
story and our compassion, and it
just means so much to us, so
1044
01:17:17.279 --> 01:17:19.720
much. Could we try our very
best? We really do, and I
1045
01:17:19.880 --> 01:17:23.000
we try to have fun, and
we try to have a laugh here and
1046
01:17:23.039 --> 01:17:27.399
there, but when we talk about
the victims and their families, it's only
1047
01:17:27.720 --> 01:17:30.720
only with respect and compassion, and
so to know that that's coming through and
1048
01:17:30.760 --> 01:17:35.159
that even close family members of the
victims are you know, feel that way,
1049
01:17:35.199 --> 01:17:39.560
it just it means a lot.
Well. A fellow podcaster recently posted
1050
01:17:39.600 --> 01:17:43.000
something that I've been thinking about and
I keep thinking about. She said,
1051
01:17:44.079 --> 01:17:47.399
people's stories don't belong to you,
and I think there is some truth to
1052
01:17:47.439 --> 01:17:51.319
that, and we never want to
see him exploitative. Yeah, but it's
1053
01:17:51.319 --> 01:17:55.600
also important to tell these stories,
I think, yep, for sure.
1054
01:17:56.560 --> 01:17:59.479
On a lighter note. I did
want to mention that some people have told
1055
01:17:59.520 --> 01:18:02.560
me that they listen to us when
oh I should be quiet, they're nodding
1056
01:18:02.560 --> 01:18:09.800
off, or when they're sick.
Thank you for listening. I don't really
1057
01:18:09.800 --> 01:18:15.119
feel like our voices are that relaxing. I apologize, I need to hire
1058
01:18:15.199 --> 01:18:19.840
somebody. I'm a disaster. But
anyway, rate, review, subscribe.
1059
01:18:19.960 --> 01:18:26.279
We appreciate you guys, We love
you guys. Consider paton dot com,
1060
01:18:26.319 --> 01:18:30.279
slash love, Mary kill Well.
Thanks everybody for listening, and be good
1061
01:18:30.319 --> 01:19:03.199
to each other. Apt
