ACTIVE SEARCH CA - Hannah, 16, Devonte, 15, & Sierra Hart, 12, Mendocino County, 26 Mar 2018 #4

[Emb72]

CPS to 911: 'Concerns Hart children aren't being fed'



"Concerns that the children aren't being fed."

Wait...I just read that article and it says "cars kept moving in and out over the weekend". Didn't they leave on friday? This confuses me.

 

[Talulah]

OMG,, no!!

Yep. I was utterly shocked that anyone would think that is appropriate. They were defending themselves too, saying "well they claimed they were related, so it should be fine."

 

[staunchcharacter]

I am in a group on Facebook about this case and I suddenly have a much deeper appreciation for the rules here. There are people on there stalking supposed blood family members and sending them messages, harassing them, etc. Bunchacrazies! I mean, I can understand police reaching out, but random strangers on the internet who just want up in other people's business? Jeez.

That's terrible. I saw people replying to friends posting about their death being really harsh. Like I said before, there are many people out there grieving the loss of likely 8 people they really cared about and also trying to come to terms with abuse these people they cared about were enduring right under their noses. It is not the first time abuse was not known by those around a family. Being cruel to people that are grieving will not bring them back.

 

[rosemadderlake]

I know I am not alone in this as Facebook is called Fakebook. I have several people on my Facebook that make up stuff.

Some have abusive parents and they talk about how great they are.

One is overweight and looks nothing like the pictures she posts. I wonder how she does it. And she has her fake experiences.

A few more, but I will skip the details.

Why do they make up these fake lives? Maybe Sarah and Jen could have had a fun life with the three but they decided to have three more and to abuse one for sure right away. Why did they do it? Why did they make a fake life? Did they believe their own lies?

They were the Tribe, but when the Tribe got a lot of attention with Devonte, they hightailed it out of there.

The pictures of Devonte crying before hugging the cop and the movie of Jeremiah with the worm indicate control issues.

Did Jen never work?

Bbms: social media is a relatively new phenomenon. And, an opportunity to control ones own narrative whether in stories, or in images.

People assume the story is autobiographical, not a work of fiction?

It's a really good Q: did they believe their own press? I think it is both, this medium afforded them the ability "to project" the perfect tribe image, and it also afforded them a place to hide from the reality.

 

[babyblujems]

I guess I don't get that either. I'm really struggling with that aspect, of scrutinizing every image and reading into it.

The scary thing, to me, is that the pictures and anecdotes could ALL be perfectly innocent and "real", and yet the parents also be abusive. Both truths could exist simultaneously. Child abuse and the relationship between abuser and abusee are complicated. The picture of the kids with the waffles, for example. Some people are commenting and saying, "I bet they didn't even get to eat those waffles!" The thing is, they probably DID eat those waffles. And they probably enjoyed them. And those smiles in the pictures? They could very well be real. And they probably really loved their mothers. But they were probably still afraid of them and were most likely abused. It doesn't have to be an either/or situation. Abuse is complicated, which is why it's often so hard for people to leave. It is possible to have "good" times with your abuser, and that just makes the situation even scarier. If things were bad 24/7 then it would be easy to hate them, but abusers can flip the switch and be loving and caring, too. My mother was abusive; I grew up in a home with a narcissist with borderline personality disorder. I was terrified of her. Almost 40 years later and I am still working through that trauma. But gosh, as traumatic as my childhood was and as awful of a mother she could be, she could also be the most wonderful mother in the world and I all but worshipped her because when she was "good", she was wonderful. If you were to look at my family pictures, you'd see a smiling little girl doing all kinds of fun things. The smiles weren't faked, either. She didn't force me to grin-I smiled because, at that moment, I was genuinely enjoying myself and because I loved her. And then, 20 minutes after the photo was taken, she might hit me or ridicule me or any number of the other things that she enjoyed doing.

These poor children had terrible deaths. They most likely had some terrible things happen to them, both before and after they were adopted. I sincerely hope that they did have true moments of joy in their short lives.

I agree with much of what you say. In many psychology fields they talk about the cycle of abuse and in short it has 3 phases, though many people split it up so those phases get broken down into more. The first is the abuse, be it emotional, physical, psychologically or sexual, in this phase the abuse happens, power is shown and the partner is taught "who's the boss" as my professors would say. The second phase is honeymoon like, the abuser often buys gifts or does nice things for the victim. In an abuse cycle this is an important crucial part for the abuser, it's how they make the victim doubt themselves and make them think things can get better. The abuser will apologize and often make excuses, still making sure blame stems from the victims actions. The third phase is the anxiety phase, the victim can see the abuser deteriorating or can feel the tension. They often walk on eggshells and do all they can to be better so the abuser does not have a reason to lash out. Eventually the abuser snaps and it starts all over again. The period of abuse gets longer while the honeymoon phase gets shorter the longer a relationship lasts. I would think that many of these pictures may have been taken during the so called honeymoon stage. The children were out of the house experiencing things and spending time with people. This could be seen to them as better times, maybe mom is getting better and we'll be ok for awhile.

Either way this story breaks my heart into so many pieces. I really feel for Mrs. D, I've been her in the past. I even went as far as losing my job because of the 51-As I filed (Dad said I was filing them maliciously and not showing to appointments) 7 months later that kid was in a coma and has been for almost 3 years now. I really hope she gets counseling because I know how much that messed me up, to the point that I can not allow myself to go back into the field of therapy I was in before.

 

[Lilibet]

Can there ever be good? They would be walkimg on egghells wondering when the next tirade would happen

Speaking just from my own experience with an alcoholic father who would spend months sober, going to AA and then relapse...yes there was plenty of good. When he was sober, he was great and I just assumed the drinking was over...only to be disappointed again. But I didn’t spend his sober time wondering when he would start drinking again. That may be just how I handled it, but I do think kids are more “in the moment” and grab joy when they can.
JMO

 

[Zelda1010]

According to this report (based on 911 records), the next door neighbours actually called the police for a welfare check, three month after the initial incident took place when the little girl knocked their door asking for help or shelter.
Man called 911 concerned about Hart family, but Clark County deputies decided against welfare check
http://www.columbian.com/news/2018/...ounty-deputies-decided-against-welfare-check/

Well, I'm glad to see a part of the DeKalb's experience is verified here. I believe them. I don't blame them, but I am a little concerned about Mr DeKalb being so dismissive and Mrs D deferring to his point of view. Yet still telling her dad months later and still not calling CPS to report it after speaking with LE. Maybe he is a wimp who doesn't want to deal with a bad neighbor relationship, but if he's a wimp why was he calling the shots and visiting the home himself as if that verified the kids' wellness. A previous poster said the wimp thing.

It just brings home the difficulty in identifying and fixing abusive situations. I don't know how to fix it, but since abuse is a crime, the abuser is presumed innocent without evidence to disprove their eyewitness account. The victim, the only other eyewitness, is doubted until proven innocent since they are accusing someone of a nearly unprovable crime. Essentially deemed guilty of telling lies or being mistaken or confused.

I wonder what the next piece of the puzzle will be to come out. I wonder how complete the picture will be in the next weeks, months or even years.

 

[Abp5]

Yep. I was utterly shocked that anyone would think that is appropriate. They were defending themselves too, saying "well they claimed they were related, so it should be fine."

I left two groups for that very reason. People were friending friends and family members just to have access to FB so they could post ‘private’ (meaning only shared with friends) conversations and pictures. One of those friends posted and asked admin to remove the posts/images/SS because her kids were receiving threats and was told “That is what you get for accepting friend requests.” I reported my concern to admins and was targeted as being a ‘friend’ (even though I live across the country). It definitely makes me thankful for WS rules and parameters. I absolutely believe that these women abused their kids and drove off a cliff. However, it was THEM and not their associates. Guilt by association can be a dangerous thing for these people.

 

[Hatfield]

WOW, I can't believe they didn't go and check on the children after reading that. Another ball dropped, more kids dead. Beyond frustrating.

“The other night, a little girl jumped out of the second-story window on the roof and then down onto the ground and ran to my daughter — and this was like two in the morning — begging them to help her,” the caller, Steve Frkovich, 80, told the Clark County dispatcher in the Nov. 18 call. He told the dispatcher there were kids who he felt were “being highly abused.”
“My son-in-law doesn’t want to get involved, but the more I sit on it, I just can’t live with it. Somebody’s got to go there and check on these kids,” Frkovich said. “Since she’s told me about it, I just can’t live with it … those kids, I think, are in very serious danger.”

According to dispatch logs, a Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputy apparently contacted Dana DeKalb for more information and learned the incident had taken place several months before Frkovich had conveyed information to the dispatcher.

Deputies chose not to perform a welfare check, writing in a dispatch log:

“This incident happened two months ago. Dana recently told mom about the situation who in turn told her elderly father who felt it necessary to call police from his residence in Tacoma. Dana said no other issues since this one. Determined a welfare check was not warranted based on this isolated incident.”

omg, isolated incident? who cares when it happened and if they thought it was isolated. They should have taken this man's call seriously. I get the chills reading it and they didn't think, oh, what the hell, we should probably just go over there??? Maybe they wouldn't have found anything and maybe they would be manipulated but go over there!!!

This is heartbreaking to read.

Error on the side of safety and check. That would be my advice.

Good grief. I know it was months old but it was a serious event. A child doesnt just jump out of a two story window and beg for help unless it was serious.

At a minimum they could have knocked on the door and asked to speak with the child to make sure she was still alive. They may have found hints of abuse going on or maybe have found nothing but a simple knock on the door was warranted.

Sometimes people take awhile to get enough courage to call LE. That is not unusual.

Its so sad. Hopefully a lesson learned by many.

 

[Zelda1010]

Wait...I just read that article and it says "cars kept moving in and out over the weekend". Didn't they leave on friday? This confuses me.

I listened to the call. I got the impression that the point was cars have moved over the weekend since they were last there. Maybe she had even talked to the DeKalb's again? Total speculation though.

I'm curious why the Friday visit didn't warrant an LE escort?

 

[Zelda1010]

Latest media release:

UPDATED PRESS RELEASE 04-10-2018:

The search conducted on 04-09-2018 were unsuccessful in locating any of the missing children (Hannah Hart, DeVonte Hart and Sierra Hart) or physical evidence associated with this investigation.

Searches of the Mendocino County coastline will continue with on-duty patrol deputies as calls for service allow. Mendocino County Search & Rescue divers are preparing to be deployed to the area of the crash site once ocean conditions improve for safety reasons. It is anticipated that ocean conditions will not improve for several days.

Ongoing updates/photos will also be posted on the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office facebook page as information becomes available (https://www.facebook.com/MendocinoSheriff).

 

[Zelda1010]

I agree with much of what you say. In many psychology fields they talk about the cycle of abuse and in short it has 3 phases, though many people split it up so those phases get broken down into more. The first is the abuse, be it emotional, physical, psychologically or sexual, in this phase the abuse happens, power is shown and the partner is taught "who's the boss" as my professors would say. The second phase is honeymoon like, the abuser often buys gifts or does nice things for the victim. In an abuse cycle this is an important crucial part for the abuser, it's how they make the victim doubt themselves and make them think things can get better. The abuser will apologize and often make excuses, still making sure blame stems from the victims actions. The third phase is the anxiety phase, the victim can see the abuser deteriorating or can feel the tension. They often walk on eggshells and do all they can to be better so the abuser does not have a reason to lash out. Eventually the abuser snaps and it starts all over again. The period of abuse gets longer while the honeymoon phase gets shorter the longer a relationship lasts. I would think that many of these pictures may have been taken during the so called honeymoon stage. The children were out of the house experiencing things and spending time with people. This could be seen to them as better times, maybe mom is getting better and we'll be ok for awhile.

Either way this story breaks my heart into so many pieces. I really feel for Mrs. D, I've been her in the past. I even went as far as losing my job because of the 51-As I filed (Dad said I was filing them maliciously and not showing to appointments) 7 months later that kid was in a coma and has been for almost 3 years now. I really hope she gets counseling because I know how much that messed me up, to the point that I can not allow myself to go back into the field of therapy I was in before.

I'm sorry you're living with that weight. Thank you for reminding us of the cycle of abuse. I hope this graphic is ok to share from this random site.

https://ahangoverfreelife.com/2014/10/24/cycle-abuse/

 

[SATA]

Latest media release:

UPDATED PRESS RELEASE 04-10-2018:

The search conducted on 04-09-2018 were unsuccessful in locating any of the missing children (Hannah Hart, DeVonte Hart and Sierra Hart) or physical evidence associated with this investigation.

Searches of the Mendocino County coastline will continue with on-duty patrol deputies as calls for service allow. Mendocino County Search & Rescue divers are preparing to be deployed to the area of the crash site once ocean conditions improve for safety reasons. It is anticipated that ocean conditions will not improve for several days.

Ongoing updates/photos will also be posted on the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office facebook page as information becomes available (https://www.facebook.com/MendocinoSheriff).

Thanks.

This is frustrating. The kids must be found.

 

[emma.laurens]

I find that extremely hard to believe. How can some one with noble intentions commit long term child abuse and finally murder?

As for the Mendocino law enforcement. An investigative report was issued on or before March 31, and submitted to the court. The report concluded that this was no accident, and that a felony had been committed. We are well past that part now.



Court docs_ Speedometer in Woodland family’s car ‘pinned’ at 90 - KPTV - FOX 12

Just to clarify, that's why my emphasis was heavily on "may." Any empathy for these women is based on speculation of their possible intentions, beyond the immediate evidence. That is not the case with the children. There is hard proof that abuse happened. We may- collectively- disagree over specific evidence in specific photographs/videos/interviews, in the course of trying to identify small irregularities that others might miss. I agree with you, fundamentally. Independent of what attachment-related issues may have contributed, there is no reason to doubt much of what the children explicitly said about being abused. There are confessions and a conviction. Considering Jen and Sarah's actions in the context of possible intentions, by contrast, is based on our experiences and speculation from that. It's a valid form of inquiry. But belief of what the women said about their intentions does not have the same weight of evidence as belief of what the children said about their abuse.

Treading lightly on Mendocino LE, since my personal opinions are based on journalism reports about professional conduct that are no longer available online, and cannot be cited to accord with the rules of the forum. I have reason to doubt, based on past professional conduct, that the Mendocino lieutenant and sheriff/coroner in charge of this investigation have produced a comprehensive report. I am waiting for the input of other, outside/federal LE enforcement agencies, and their collaboration on a final report, to form a conclusive opinion on what happened preceding the crash/accident.

 

[NicoleH]

I am in a group on Facebook about this case and I suddenly have a much deeper appreciation for the rules here. There are people on there stalking supposed blood family members and sending them messages, harassing them, etc. Bunchacrazies! I mean, I can understand police reaching out, but random strangers on the internet who just want up in other people's business? Jeez.

Yes, I'm also in that group and saw that too. And then they're wondering why these people are deleting their Facebook accounts. Geez. Rules are good sometimes.

 

[human]

Many people who were abused in childhood attest to there being good times. That is my experience also. And as a fostermom, I have seen this with the kids who've come through my home. I've met every biological parent that was still in the picture for these kids. Despite what they have done, their children love them and find the good in them. I also have been able to see good in them and empathize with their situation (though the kids come first and I'm a fierce mama bear too!). I even had a young lady who was mistreated by her previous fostermom for two years before coming here. That girl worshiped that woman. Though I was appalled by what happened, there must have also been some good in that family.

That is my experience from the other side also. Yes, I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop. Yes, I have to be extra hypervigilant. Yes, we have safety measures in place that most people cannot even begin to fathom. But that is just one side of the coin! We also have tons of laughter and giggling. We have meaningful conversations. We read together, play together, and have a great time. The good doesn't disappear because there is also the hard stuff.

I believe every coin has two sides. The Harts' likely did also. Now, it may have been that their one side was particularly ugly and tarnished. And the other side may have been polished to an extreme. But both sides likely did exist.

And really? That is a good thing. Those kids deserved the good they got. I wish they had gotten more good. I wish the bad hadn't happened. I certainly wish they could have gone on with their lives and had the potential for greatness. But I'm glad they got what good they did along the way.

I think the “love” of an abusive parent is because of many reasons. One is that a child is being “told” that s/he is unlovable. Told by words or actions.

We see this in domestic violence. The person feels if she gets the meal on the table faster, she will be worthy of his love.

Parents are supposed to love you, and when they appear not to, it shakes the child at the core.

Abusers would never get anyone to control if they did not show a carrot sometimes.

Does a domestic violence partner ever feel as if she will be good enough?

It is hard for adults to understand their emotions and needs. Think about children. They are operating at a far more basic level.

 

[babyblujems]

View attachment 132728

I'm sorry you're living with that weight. Thank you for reminding us of the cycle of abuse. I hope this graphic is ok to share from this random site.

https://ahangoverfreelife.com/2014/10/24/cycle-abuse/

Thank you, it's not an easy weight to live with especially since I was pregnant while working with him and the final abusive moment happened 10 days before I gave birth. He is/was two weeks older then my older son which is part of why I took it so hard I think. Never mind the resulting investigation of me in my immediate postpartum life. I will say searching for him recently is what led me to this site and I devoured the whole thread on him.
As for the abuse cycle, I think that most people only see it as being used in patner violence but that's not true. Having the addition of other children created other dynamics too especially if there are one or two favored. The favored children are then able to play along and reinforce the belief that it was the victim's fault the abuse happens and sometimes may be encouraged to participate to show loyalty to the parents. I'm not saying that happened here but I wouldn't be surprised if this was the escalation that led to DeVonte seeking help.

 

[human]

I thought the same thing. Didn't the other neighbor say he saw them outside "all the time?" I also noticed from the pictures that the kids could go in their own backyard and wouldn't be visible to the DeKalb's. I am not attaching any nefarious motives to them, just suggesting that it seems more likely the DeKalb's just didn't see the kids when they were outside. Besides, let's face it. unless Jen was making the kids clean or read all day every day, she'd probably prefer the kids were outside rather than being underfoot.

Jmo, and leaving open the possibility that Jen would want the kids inside to better control them.

As an aside, I was talking to my wife yesterday about the racial make up of our community. It is almost 100% white, but our nearest neighbors and the only ones we really even have a waving and short conversation type relationship with are the ones across the street. Their family consists of a white man, an Asian wife, and their two children. In addition to having completely overlooked the fact that 3/4 of the people in the house across the street are Asian, my wife also said she had never seen their children. We have lived here for 10 years! I have seen their children multiple times over the years, watched them grow and have noted that both girls are now teenagers, they drive themselves to school and appear to have their own car. Some people just aren't that observant.

I think that there are reports from every place that they lived that the children were basically not visible in their neighborhoods that they lived in.

That may be why we have heard just about nothing about this Tribe in their immediate neighborhood.

 

[rosemadderlake]

I agree with much of what you say. In many psychology fields they talk about the cycle of abuse and in short it has 3 phases, though many people split it up so those phases get broken down into more. The first is the abuse, be it emotional, physical, psychologically or sexual, in this phase the abuse happens, power is shown and the partner is taught "who's the boss" as my professors would say. The second phase is honeymoon like, the abuser often buys gifts or does nice things for the victim. In an abuse cycle this is an important crucial part for the abuser, it's how they make the victim doubt themselves and make them think things can get better. The abuser will apologize and often make excuses, still making sure blame stems from the victims actions. The third phase is the anxiety phase, the victim can see the abuser deteriorating or can feel the tension. They often walk on eggshells and do all they can to be better so the abuser does not have a reason to lash out. Eventually the abuser snaps and it starts all over again. The period of abuse gets longer while the honeymoon phase gets shorter the longer a relationship lasts. I would think that many of these pictures may have been taken during the so called honeymoon stage. The children were out of the house experiencing things and spending time with people. This could be seen to them as better times, maybe mom is getting better and we'll be ok for awhile.

Either way this story breaks my heart into so many pieces. I really feel for Mrs. D, I've been her in the past. I even went as far as losing my job because of the 51-As I filed (Dad said I was filing them maliciously and not showing to appointments) 7 months later that kid was in a coma and has been for almost 3 years now. I really hope she gets counseling because I know how much that messed me up, to the point that I can not allow myself to go back into the field of therapy I was in before.

Thank you for this insightful post.

Bbm: maybe this is where Devonte was at in running to the neighbors multiple times per day.

And maybe their trips were the making nice phase? Can't know if that is true about this last trip... I have a feeling it might have been horrible. Because these women didn't answer the door, they didn't know if the sheriff was going to show up. And which child did they blame for blowing their cover?

Also, what in earth was the relationship like between these two women? I can't imagine it was healthy. In some way I wonder if the scenario wasn't more about the two of them and driving off the cliff was the ultimate last straw?

And in this final act, it really shows the true disconnect with these innocent children. Worrying about a reputation over innocent lives is shattering. And we'll never know.

There is much that we still don't know and it might take a long time to put the pieces together in this case because these two women were secretive. IMO.

Like much of the early reporting I had hoped they would find something that would indicate auto malfunction, or something. But I don't think LE publishes findings without being really certain, or knowing the auto's functionality, records, etc.

And, like everyone here, it is beyond my comprehension. Too heartbreaking for words.

 

[human]

You can always hear kids outside playing. They are normally very noisy.

Children need to run and they love to scream. Unless of course running and screaming are not allowed.

Teachers use the phrase, “ Inside voices”, for good reason.

Kids have energy coursing through their bodies.