Deceased/Not Found Ca - Hannah,16 (fnd dec), Devonte,15, (dec nf) Ciera Hart,12 (fnd dec),mendocino Cty,26 Mar 2018 #7

[TallCaliGirl]

The lapse in time between the initial contact from cps and the doctor visits and cps home visits also allowed them to feed the kids and have them appear healthier. I'm surprised they let them delay the home visits for such a long period. Maybe that's not unusual?

 

[Mominmi]

My story is exactly the same. Nothing sinister. It is simply respect. Nothing else. I did not insist that my children adhere to that as exacting as my parents did, but I did insist on respect. Sometimes they still say "Yes, m'am" to me( they are in their 20's) but not always, but they do use a respectful tone with their parents.

I was raised in the south and definately taught m’am and sir. I moved to Michigan when my oldest child was five so he started school there. All his teachers commented on his saying yes m’am to them but In a “that’s cute” k8nd of a way. EXCEPT for his fourth grade teacher who asked me if he had a problem with authority figures because he always said m’am to her! I said “no, he was just raised by a southern mama and that’s good manners”. Although I never recall it being something he was “made” to do at all. I think she thought I was some kind of Uber strict disciplinarian or something.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

I don't think CPS did brush it aside. They did what they could by requesting a doctor's visit. I hate to play devil's advocate for the doctor, but in some of the photos the children are skin and bones but lively-looking. They're almost always healthy with engaged and active faces, glowing skin. Doctors must see so many obese children now or truly sickly ones from no exercise and poor junk food diets. The OR doctor may truly have been acting in good conscience to say that she/he could find nothing alarming. Remember how these children present: family supportive, mother-supporting-- until the deKalbs. Finally-- I remember in my childhood, there were no fat children. Most of my friends were SKINNY and I mean skinny. I am not defending these monsters, just saying that these children presented so well, that people didn't know what to believe. Until the deKalbs.

IMO the abuse claims were not taken seriously enough. You have reports of withholding food plus way below average weights. Not hard to connect the dots.

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[Zelda1010]

Gosh, what made these women want kids in the first place? It's perfectly fine if you don't want kids. Not everyone is meant to have them. Of course, maybe they would simply release their hell in other way. I almost wonder if Sarah went along with it because abuse was being dealt onto the kids instead of her? (That was just pure speculation on my part, no evidence of domestic abuse I've seen so far, I'm just thinking out loud!).

It seems like at every turn, there a failure to give a really big push into really looking at these kids. But at the same time, there's only so much a normal person can do. In the end, it falls on the shoulders of CPS, and you can only hope your local CPS/worker is a competent one.

The reporting adults did mention Sarah seemed controlled by Jen. They refused to be interviewed separately (maybe bc Sarah "stupidly" confessed before?). Sarah is cold to the children. Does she get punished along with the children for showing each other affection?

Her wrist grabbing snarl could be seen as less severe than Jen's punishment might be, imo.

Sarah saying "playing the food card, give her water" might be the abuser's words. She may well have needed to hear that, "no, this child is hungry", to have an outside professional validate her own opinion (but I'm reaching there, I know, but stay with me). If Sarah tried to advocate for them to be fed more, an abusive Jen convincing Sarah that the kids "play the food card on" Sarah is not inconceivable, in my mind. Maybe one or some of the kids did gain some weight upon arrival, not enough to be obese, just a normal growth and Jen blamed Sarah. I think Jen got a hold of one of these attachment disorder discipline for adopted kids books, personally. And something in Sarah was too broken to stop it or fix it. Jen may have used her legal standing with the kids and/or suicide as a threat every time Sarah spoke up. Sarah may have thought she was helping protect them from worse treatment, in her own broken twisted way. But think about it, she knows Jen will lie her face off if Sarah ran and reported Jen. If the cops hadn't allowed Sarah to plead guilty to abuse the child accused Jen of....recognized that there was a 1 in 4 chance there was partner abuse in this type of relationship. I think this was a final turning point. If Sarah leaves now, she knows Jen will coach the kids and use Sarah's guilty plea against her. And she'd have the blood of those kids on her hands either way. And she was right. There was no way out. Jen killed them all when she could no longer control them.

I know it isn't a completely popular opinion, but abuse is complicated and the victims' accounts have to be believed, despite the abuser's blaming, justifying and lies. I know because I've been there, but, no, I'm not a professional, it is jmo.

 

[MrsEmmaPeel]

FWIW. My husband is a manager of 60 employees. He must document EVERYTHING. I mean, if someone does something terrible-- even then there must be a paper trail leading to the incident to fire the person. The legal consequences are huge, if there is no prior record of concern. I still feel like OR CPS was building the case, but also had to do it carefully or there could have been legal consequences. They had 3 witnesses (? I think. 2 women and a husband of one?) who told OR CPS of abuse. But CPS had to document with visible signs or facts, so they needed the doctor's evaluation. J&S KNEW all this. That's why they packed up and ran, just like the did in MN. Not having a working registry, means that OR can't necessarily contact WA or track the family if they leave OR.

Whoever did the research on the case in OR is damn thorough. And left a document that shows how many opportunities were missed. I for one am grateful for the work they did-- or all of this would have been a bigger mystery. Their report is the proof of these women's sadism, and really leaves a perfect picture of the hell the children lived.

I'm just sorry it didn't save the children's lives.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

Honestly, it wasn't until the pictures I saw today of the kids painting in the floor that I really thought they looked unhealthily skinny. They're pretty kids with big grins (Hannah not smiling wouldn't have alarmed me-my son almost never smiles in pictures and has looked put out since he was an infant), good-looking teeth, nice clothes, and healthy-looking skin. If I'd seen the other pictures out of context, without knowing that their parents were starving them or that there were any issues, I probably would not have had any red flags raised. I feel that looking at them now, with the information we have, definitely gives the images more meaning. I do feel like the doctor should have been alarmed at their weight, however, and he/she apparently was because they recommended further monitoring.

Even though they may have looked healthy the very fact that food was withheld is abusive and terrifying. Plus the fact that the kids were not growing properly means something internally was amiss.

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[debbiegarcia36]

I should not be surprised after seeing the smiling Turpins, but to see these darling kids smiling like they are having fun and knowing two mins later they were back to hell. There was no joy. None.

Not even with the smiles because they knew what life was going to be like in the next minute.

All of those years with those monsters. I wonder how those incessantly long drives were with Jen? No talking. No laughing. No singing. And a banan each. Maybe, if they were good.

Can you imagine the accolades that woman got at those festivals? Mother of the year. Humanitarian par excellance.

Sarah could have run away. She was alone for months at a time. And Jen was in love with another.

Sarah seemed insensitive to the whole food issue. How could either one of them have a conscience depriving these children of a life?

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[longlonglake]

Earlier I did not mean to suggest that the CPS reports were speculation. It's just that so much of what really happened may never be known.

 

[cybervampira]

Jennifer Hart falsely claimed missing Hannah Hart was ‘morbidly obese’: New documents reveal chilling details about alleged abuse, neglect and starvation

New documents released by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) have revealed previously unreported details about the adoption of the Hart children and abuse allegations against their mothers, Jennifer and Sarah Hart.

The records show that in 2013, Oregon DHS became aware of six reports made to Minnesota Child Protective Services between 2010-2011, including one that resulted in Sarah Hart pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic abuse. Two witnesses reportedly contacted Oregon DHS with concerns about the welfare of the six adopted Hart children, and one alerted them to an open case in Minnesota, where the family lived before they moved to West Linn, Oregon. They Harts later moved to Woodland, Washington, where they were living at the time of the fatal SUV plunge that killed six of the eight family members.

[...]

As CrimeOnline previously reported, a former friend of the Hart’s contacted Oregon DHS after she witnessed Jennifer Hart harshly punish her children when some pizza went missing from the refrigerator overnight during a sleepover at the friend’s home. The documents have also revealed that Jennifer allegedly denied all of the children breakfast the next morning when none of them admitted to taking pizza from the refrigerator.

Allegations that Jennifer and Sarah Hart withheld food from their adopted children have come up again and again in the weeks since six members of the family were found dead at the bottom of a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway. The Oregon DHS report appears to confirm that food deprivation was a regular source of stress for the children.

The DHS report is based on two witness accounts and records obtained from Minnesota Child Protective Services. One witness reportedly told Oregon DHS that “the children would eat freely if [Jennifer Hart] was not around, but as soon as she came in, they would stop and deny they ate.”

Multiple reports indicate that Jennifer and Sarah Hart blamed the children’s food-seeking behavior on developmental challenges purportedly stemming from their early childhood with their biological families. According to DHS interviews with a doctor who examined the children, all but Jeremiah Hart were below the average height and weight levels for their age. Jennifer Hart reportedly told a friend that Hannah Hart was “morbidly obese” when she was adopted.

[...]

According to the DHS report, a witness observed that Markis Hart, the eldest of the children, was targeted while Devonte Hart was favored. At one time, “Markis made a strange comment about waiting until everyone else ate to see if there was anything left,” the report states.

Jennifer Hart reportedly told a friend that Markis had once tried to kill her, and that Devonte “saved her.” There is no indication that the Harts contacted authorities about the purported incident. When Oregon DHS caseworkers interviewed each of the children following a referral in 2013, none of them made reference to earlier allegations of abuse or neglect, despite six reports fielded by social services in Minnesota.

“The children provided nearly identical answers to all questions asked,” the Oregon DHS report states. “All of the children, except Devonte, appeared very reserved and showed little emotion or animation.”

[...]

http://www.crimeonline.com/2018/04/...s-about-alleged-abuse-neglect-and-starvation/

 

[rosemadderlake]

"DHS investigators note that Sarah is often away from the children for weeks or months at a time when Jennifer takes the six kids to music festivals. One of the family friends described Sarah as being "cold" to the kids – parading them around for pictures, but not showing them affection."
http://www.koin.com/news/washington...egon-dhs-hart-family-investigation/1136867286

When JH and the kids were gone for weeks or months attending music festivals, where did they stay? Friends? Campgrounds? Hotels + festival entrance fees would get quite costly. Were they traveling with others attending or performing in the same festival circuit? If so, why didn't any of them notice or say anything when someone they stayed with for 2 weeks saw so much and reported it? The glowing comments about the family are so contradictory to what was happening. Weeks or months in close proximity to the festival regulars, JH's mask had to slip off sooner or later, one would think. MOO

Bbm: Someone is taking the pictures of the family all together... Or did she go full on pro with a tripod in tow? I've not seen any photos of her hauling around equipment other than a camera...

I've not viewed Jenn's FB page but wonder if she credited photos that weren't hers?

Re: the glowing comments... Kids, in the face of so much can be so optimistic. And they were adorable. I do think these kids were naturally quite charming and J&S used that to their advantage.

As details are coming out, if we WSers are shocked, I imagine it is a can't wrap the brain around it, state of shock and disbelief, situation for those that knew them from festivals.

 

[cybervampira]

Snippets from this article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2018/04/hart_family_crash_oregon_relea.html

Jen Hart posted this picture on Facebook of three of her children in February 2013, five months before Oregon child welfare officials opened an investigation into whether the parents were denying the children needed food. Shown are, from left, Jeremiah, then three weeks from turning 9, Sierra, then 7, and Devonte, then 10. A doctor determined that the weights and heights of all the Hart children except Jeremiah were below growth charts for their ages.

This photo collage shared on Facebook shows Markis, 8, Hannah, 4, and Abigail, 2, Hart at the time of their adoption in 2006 by Jen and Sarah Hart, according to a caption written by Jen Hart. A friend told child welfare investigators that Jen Hart described Hannah as morbidly obese when she was adopted.

 

[janewall]

The anon person making the report is the one who told the social worker about Jen being obsessed with her.

D'oh! I read it as the (redacted) CPS worker who was with the DHS worker at the house visit. So many redacted names ... it's hard to keep all the (redacted) parties sorted. My mistake.

 

[Deleted member 221283]

@Momoffourboys @ waschbaer



- Full report / 30 pages / better display : https://www.scribd.com/embeds/37719...J3P2I7dtOJqmmeeiRQO&show_recommendations=true
- Police report on DHS' referral (PDF) https://www.scribd.com/document/377205446/2013-LEA-Report-Redacted

Thank you.

“Meditation as punishment”
”standing and staring in corners for hours as punishmemt”
”laying still with covered eyes and arms along the sides as punishment”

Besides beating and starving, the punishments are all about to NOT BE.

 

[bluesneakers]

Thank you.

“Meditation as punishment”
”standing and staring in corners for hours as punishmemt”
”laying still with covered eyes and arms along the sides as punishment”

Besides beating and starving, the punishments are all about to NOT BE.

Withholding food, meditation, standing in the corner, lying still - abusive techniques that don't leave marks.

(Eventually withholding food leaves a mark, but they created a cover story to explain it away.)

 

[flourish]

Withholding food, meditation, standing in the corner, lying still - abusive techniques that don't leave marks.

(Eventually withholding food leaves a mark, but they created a cover story to explain it away.)

Makes me wonder about hair pulling, too, as that's a very common form of abuse because it's very painful but if it's not actually pulled out there aren't marks. This is just me speculating--I've not heard anything about hair pulling with this family just thinking out loud.

 

[debbiegarcia36]

Gosh, what made these women want kids in the first place? It's perfectly fine if you don't want kids. Not everyone is meant to have them. Of course, maybe they would simply release their hell in other way. I almost wonder if Sarah went along with it because abuse was being dealt onto the kids instead of her? (That was just pure speculation on my part, no evidence of domestic abuse I've seen so far, I'm just thinking out loud!).

It seems like at every turn, there a failure to give a really big push into really looking at these kids. But at the same time, there's only so much a normal person can do. In the end, it falls on the shoulders of CPS, and you can only hope your local CPS/worker is a competent one.

Jen was a college drop out. Probably awkward socially and a non conformist. Probably couldn't hack working for some one, so IMO she got the idea to get income by fostering/adopting children. Then she maybe she thought hey, I need more income so I can have a nicer home, then adopts the second set. IMO she really didnt like kids so IMO it was all about money, then control.

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[?mysterian?]

Earlier I did not mean to suggest that the CPS reports were speculation. It's just that so much of what really happened may never be known.

Maybe I misunderstood your earlier post, but I took it as a comment on the state of the investigation before the latest news articles about the report, and the report itself, were released. IMO, there hasn't been a lot of official/LE information lately, just interviews with friends, neighbors, and estranged family members, so the discussion seems to be more limited than if investigative reports were available to discuss.

 

[fridaybaker]

Snippets from this article:
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...f/2018/04/hart_family_crash_oregon_relea.html

Jen Hart posted this picture on Facebook of three of her children in February 2013, five months before Oregon child welfare officials opened an investigation into whether the parents were denying the children needed food. Shown are, from left, Jeremiah, then three weeks from turning 9, Sierra, then 7, and Devonte, then 10. A doctor determined that the weights and heights of all the Hart children except Jeremiah were below growth charts for their ages.

This photo collage shared on Facebook shows Markis, 8, Hannah, 4, and Abigail, 2, Hart at the time of their adoption in 2006 by Jen and Sarah Hart, according to a caption written by Jen Hart. A friend told child welfare investigators that Jen Hart described Hannah as morbidly obese when she was adopted.

This was posted on her Facebook. How many of her friends saw this? Did nothing?

 

[gcharlie]

IMO, the physical punishment did not stop after Sarah pleaded guilty..

Hannah lost her teeth in 2012. I seriously doubt that was an accident.

If Markis was grabbed and dragged in 2013 at age 14, there was still physical abuse taking place.

The threat of physical discipline would make the kids more compliant when it came to the other extreme and unusual forms of discipline used by the parents.

 

[Sleuth99]

I know that they often withheld food as a punishment, but what was the point of feeding them so little in general? Any thoughts?

I felt they did this as a form of control. By providing some food you can keep the "hope alive" and confuse the children into thinking that maybe if they try harder to follow all cruel orders that that they could get more food or please her and gain her acceptance. I also think they were given minimum to keep them alive (smh just writing that) and dependent state.

I think Hannah sparked an idea in Devonte by attempting to running away and hide at the Dekalbs. Devonte could have saw how concerned Dana looked and decided to reach out to her for food. He trusted Dana.


IMO