October 21, 2025 • 29 mins
They looked like the perfect family — two smiling moms and six adopted children who became social media darlings. Their photos of love, unity, and peace inspired millions. But behind those viral posts lay a chilling secret that would end in one of the most shocking murder-suicides in modern American history. This is the story of Jennifer and Sarah Hart, the “Hart Tribe,” and how a family that symbolized hope became a nightmare hidden in plain sight.
In this episode, you’ll learn how the cracks in the Hart family’s facade began to show — from abuse allegations ignored by authorities to the desperate cries for help that went unanswered. We’ll explore how social media created an illusion powerful enough to blind the world, and how six innocent lives were lost to it. This is not just a crime story; it’s a chilling reminder of how appearances can deceive, and how systems fail those who need them most.
In this episode, you’ll learn how the cracks in the Hart family’s facade began to show — from abuse allegations ignored by authorities to the desperate cries for help that went unanswered. We’ll explore how social media created an illusion powerful enough to blind the world, and how six innocent lives were lost to it. This is not just a crime story; it’s a chilling reminder of how appearances can deceive, and how systems fail those who need them most.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This photo of a young boy hugging a police officer
became one of the most viral images shared around the
world during the Black Lives Matter protests, and if you
live anywhere near Washington State, chances are you've heard of
that same boy. A member of the so called Heart Tribe.
This family made waves on Facebook, constantly posting photos of
(00:23):
what looked like a happy, blended home, two smiling moms
and six adopted black children. People praised them for their activism,
their unity, and their picture perfect moments that seemed too
good to be true. But nothing, and I mean nothing,
could have prepared the world for what came next. What
(00:43):
looked beautiful on the surface would soon reveal something far
darker underneath. It's one of those stories that reminds us
just how deceiving appearances can be, and how even the
most heartwarming images can hide a heart breaking truth.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They portray this happy little family, and yet you know
the night before their daughter's tying as please, please, please,
begging is not to make her go back, and that
they were abusing her, and then DeVante coming over here
and telling us that you know, he's being starved to.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Death, and the family they were talking about was the
Heart family, the same ones we mentioned earlier as the
Heart Tribe. To understand how their story began, we head
up north to the quiet, rarely spotlighted state of South Dakota.
Tucked in the heart of mainland America. South Dakota is
(01:42):
known for its wide open spaces, breathtaking prairies, and landmarks
like bad Lands National Park. It's the kind of place
where people fish, hunt and hike for fun, a peaceful
contrast to the noise of city life. And in this
calm and rural backdrop is where Jennifer Hart and Sarah
Gangler first crossed paths. Jennifer was from Huron and Sarah
(02:07):
grew up near a tiny place called Big Stone City.
And when we say tiny, we mean it. With a
population of just about five hundred people, it could barely
fill a single passenger jet. Both Jennifer and Sarah had
surprisingly similar upbringings, the oldest siblings in their families, raised
(02:28):
in rural towns, and both did well enough in high
school to go on to college. They each dreamed of
becoming school teachers, with Sarah focusing specifically on special education.
By what seemed like coincidence or maybe fate, both women
ended up transferring to Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
(02:52):
That was back in nineteen ninety nine, and neither of
them could have guessed that what started as classmates would
quickly grow into French ship and eventually a romantic relationship.
But let's not forget this was rural South Dakota in
the late nineties and being openly gay wasn't exactly easy,
(03:14):
especially not when you've grown up in tight knit, traditional communities.
So Jennifer and Sarah kept their relationship a secret, telling
friends and family they were just close pals. Eventually, Jennifer
dropped out of college before finishing her course, but Sarah
stuck it out and earned her degree in special education.
(03:35):
After graduation, they both decided it was time to stop hiding.
They came out publicly, and while they knew not everyone
would accept them, they were ready, and sure enough, some
friends walked away, but they stood by each other and
decided to start fresh, moving to Alexandria, Minnesota, a charming
(03:56):
city known for its lakes and calm lifestyle. Once settled
in Alexandria, they both found work at the biggest department
store in town. Sarah climbed the ranks to management, while
Jennifer remained in the junior's section. Co Workers described Sarah
as calm and reserved, while Jennifer was bold, brash, and
(04:19):
sometimes hard to get along with. But together they somehow
balanced each other out, like Yin and Yang, each one
filling in the other's gaps. By their mid twenties, though
they both felt something was missing. Their routine had become
too quiet, too predictable. That's when they decided to become
(04:39):
foster parents, something that many see as a beautiful and
meaningful way to grow a family and make a difference.
They were young, educated, and employed, so they qualified. In
two thousand fourteen. They took in their first foster child,
a fifteen year old girl named Lee. At first, it
(05:00):
all seemed great. Jennifer and Sarah took Lee on trips,
brought her to events, and tried to create lasting memories.
They went camping, visited amusement parks. On the surface, it
looked like a picture perfect start, but only a few
months later cracks begin to show. People around them started
(05:22):
noticing that Jennifer and Sarah often complained about Lee, mocking
her habits, attitude, and interests. They even told others that
Lee had a habit of picking food from the trash,
which said more about their judgment than about the child herself.
The foster experience that started with such excitement quickly soured. Still,
(05:43):
the couple pressed on bringing in more children. Eventually, Lee
found herself watching Jennifer and Sarah gush over photos of
two new kids. They planned to adopt a younger brother
and sister, and even talking about adopting a fourth child
from a pregnant woman once the baby was born. But
that excitement didn't include Lee. Just a week later, she
(06:06):
was dropped off at what she thought was a normal
therapist appointment, only to be told that Jennifer and Sarah
weren't coming back. No goodbye, no explanation. They'd completely abandoned her,
just like that. She was out of their lives. By
two thousand and six, two years after sending Lee back
(06:27):
into the foster care system, Jennifer and Sarah officially adopted
three children, two year old Abigail, four year old Hannah,
and seven year old Marcus. Statistically, these children were considered
hard to place. Sadly, race still plays a big role
in adoption rates, and all three were black siblings, which
(06:48):
meant they had to be adopted together, something many families
were unwilling or unable to do. But Jennifer and Sarah
took them in and on the outside it looked like
a beauty act of compassion. Now this is where Jennifer
Hart really began curating the image of her so called
perfect family online. She started regularly posting on Facebook documenting
(07:13):
what she called their first night as a family of five.
But instead of warmth and sweetness, the night sounded chaotic,
even alarming. She described incidents of urination, someone pooping on
the walls, a child taking a tumble, and one even
needing the Heimlich maneuver. It was wild, and while most
(07:36):
parents would probably panic or keep something like that private,
Jen shared it openly, almost like it was some quirky adventure.
She wrote that the kids were difficult, misbehaved, and deeply troubled,
but insisted that she and Sarah were in it for
the long haul. If not us, who will, she said,
as if they were the last hope for these children.
(07:58):
And while raising three traumatiz's children is undeniably tough, it
didn't stop Jen and Sarah from applying to adopt even
more just two years Later, in the spring of two
thousand and eight, their application was approved once again. This
time they were given three more children, five year old Davante,
(08:18):
four year old Jeremiah, and three year old Sierra. With
six adopted kids now in their care, all black children
and all from troubled backgrounds, the cracks in the family
dynamics started to show. Not long after the new editions arrived,
things took a troubling turn. That same year, Hannah showed
(08:39):
up to school with visible bruises on her legs. When
her teacher asked what happened, Hannah said one of her
mothers had hit her with a belt, But when Jen
and Sarah were questioned, they brushed it off. They claimed
ignorance and said maybe Hannah got the bruises while playing. Shockingly,
no charges were filed. But what happened next was even
(09:02):
more suspicious. All three kids were pulled out of school
just like that. It wasn't until social services were notified
that the children were eventually re enrolled. Still, the warning
signs were growing louder. Despite all of this, Jen kept
her social media active, carefully painting a rosy picture of
(09:23):
their unconventional family. Two white lesbian moms raising six beautiful
black children. Sarah stayed working in retail, supporting them financially,
while Jen became a full time stay at home mom.
But she wasn't just staying home. She took the kids
on trips to what she called transformation festivals. These were
(09:45):
multi day events filled with music, dancing, yoga, and a
kind of bohemian spiritual atmosphere. That lifestyle shift eventually led
the family to leave Minnesota and moved to Oregon in
twenty thirteen, drawn to a more accepting community and closer
proximity to their favorite musicians and events. Not long after
(10:08):
the move, Jen and Sarah officially tied the knot, with
Sarah taking Jennifer's last name Heart along with the children.
From that point forward, Jen's Facebook became a full blown
highlight reel. Post after posts showed smiling kids in flower crowns,
group hugs at festivals, gardening sessions, or artsy candid shots
(10:31):
around the house. Her captions were filled with talk of love, healing, community,
and acceptance, the kind of content that raked in likes
and shares. The public was enamored. People saw them as
selfless heroes, two moms who had stepped up to save
six children and were raising them in a peaceful, progressive bubble.
(10:54):
It was a perfectly curated story and it worked. The
world applauded, But behind those filtered moments and carefully chosen
words was a reality that was anything but loving. Government
reports and school records started telling a different story. Teachers
had noticed bruises on the children. Some of them had
(11:16):
even confided that they were locked in rooms or denied
food at home. In fact, some of the kids resorted
to stealing food from classmates just to get by. Abigail
told one teacher that Jennifer had punished her by dunking
her head in cold water, then slapping her across the face.
(11:36):
Yet every time something serious was reported, the Hart family
seemed to slip through the cracks, and then, just like before,
they removed the children from school entirely, this time permanently.
They claimed they were switching to home schooling. It didn't
stop there. Whistle Blowers, neighbors, friends, even acquaintances started contacting
(12:01):
child protective services. Their reports were deeply disturbing. They said
Jen ran the house like a strict boot camp, the
children were terrified of her. One particularly dark claim was
that Jen controlled food access not just as punishment, but
as leverage. She reportedly withheld meals unless the kids posed
(12:23):
for happy, affectionate photos that she could post online. Photographers
who worked with the family said the same thing. The
kids would beam for the camera on cue, obedient and cheerful,
but as soon as the camera was gone, the smiles vanished,
the light in their eyes disappeared. The transformation was eerie,
(12:44):
like someone flipping a switch.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
The CPS eventually got involved again and began interviewing the
Hart children about their home life. You'd think this would
be the turning point, right, But strangely, during these interviews,
each child gave ear similar answers, almost like they had
been rehearsed. One by one. They all denied any abuse
happening at home. No red flags, no cries for help,
(13:10):
just calm, uniform responses that made it seem like everything
was perfectly fine. But that's exactly what made it so unsettling. Then,
in the year twenty fourteen, Davante Hart, one of Jen
and Sarah's youngest adopted sons, became a viral sensation. His photo,
taken during a Black Lives Matter protest, showed him tearfully
(13:32):
hugging a white police officer while holding a free hug sign.
The image tugged at people's hearts, became a symbol of
hope and quickly spread across the internet. Davante was dubbed
the boy who hugged a cop, and the story got
so big that it was featured on national news outlets
and even made its way to Saturday Night Live. Jen,
(13:55):
who had always craved attention, basked in the public love.
Her social media was filled with emotional captions and curated
images of her family doing crafts, gardening, or attending rallies.
The message was always the same, love, peace, healing, unity.
It looked like the dream family. But by the time
(14:16):
twenty sixteen rolled around, Jen's Facebook suddenly went silent. No
more posts, no more updates, just nothing. It wasn't until
the following year, twenty seventeen, that Jen resurfaced online, but
this time her tone was different, defensive. She posted that
people around them didn't understand their progressive, alternative lifestyle. Behind
(14:42):
those vague words, though, something more strategic was happening. CPS
was circling again, Investigations were heating up, and instead of
facing it, Jen and Sarah packed up and moved quietly,
no fanfare, no goodbye posts, just a silent escape ape
to Woodland, Washington. There they found a large, two story
(15:03):
farmhouse out in the countryside. It was remote, peaceful, and
most importantly, out of the spotlight. Jen restarted her Facebook again,
trying to pick up where she left off. New posts,
new family photos, the same old We're living in love narrative.
But behind the filtered photos, the truth was unraveling fast.
(15:28):
One night, in the middle of a warm July evening,
something terrifying happened. Fifteen year old Hannah Hart jumped out
of her second story bedroom window and ran barefoot to
a neighbor's house, the home of Donna and Bruce Decalb.
It was past two in the morning, and the couple
was woken by frantic knocking. There was Hannah, scared, hungry,
(15:50):
and begging not to be taken back home. The Decalbs
were shocked, and before long the rest of the Hart
family was outside calling for Hannah. When Jen finally got
to their door, she coolly brushed it all off, saying
Hannah was lying for attention. But Donna and Bruce didn't
feel right about it. Something about Hannah's panic, her fear
(16:13):
just didn't sit well. The next day, Donna's daughter called
the police. She told them there's some kids I feel
are being highly abused. She described how Hannah jumped out
of the window and begged to stay hidden, and how
later the kids came back, all lined up, stiffly and
repeating the same thing, that everything was fine. It was
(16:36):
clear something wasn't.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, there's some kids that I feel is being highly abused. Okay,
I'm going to give to the address of my daughter's
house because it's roy in at door. Okay, let's Yana.
The other night, a little girls jumped out of the
second story window on the roof and then down on
the ground and ran to my daughter, And this is
like two in the morning, begging them to help her,
(16:59):
to help her. And when they came looking for her,
she was begging my daughter not to let them know
she was there. And then eventually my son in law
let them know. And then she had all four of
the kids come back later and to say everything was okay,
and they're all standing at attention like they were just
scared to death. And I think there's something very serious
(17:22):
going on there. I'm very concerned for these kids.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
The very next day, the de Kalbs received a letter
that was supposedly written by Hannah apologizing for her behavior,
but the wording it didn't sound like a fifteen year old.
It was overly formal, rehearsed, almost like someone else had
written it. Donna and Bruce didn't want drama with the neighbors,
but now they were on alert. Donna started keeping a
(17:50):
diary noting everything she observed. The blinds in the heart
Hoome were always closed, the kids looked thinner every time
she saw them, were never seen outside playing. It was
like they were being hidden. And then came DeVante. This
time the approach was quieter. He knocked on their door
(18:10):
and calmly asked for food. He told them he was
always hungry and asked if they could leave some snacks
at the edge of the property, somewhere his parents wouldn't see,
and in a heartbreaking moment, he quietly admitted that everything
Hannah had said was true. He even asked them to
contact social services. That was it. The Decalbs called child
(18:33):
services and on March twenty third, twenty eighteen, CPS showed
up at the Heart Home to check in, but when
they arrived, there was no answer, no movement, No one
came to the door. They left a note and returned
a few days later, but when they came back, things
had taken a chilling turn. The driveway was completely empty,
(18:56):
the family's suv was gone, Debris and concrete blocks were
scattered in front of the house. The Hart family had
vanished without a trace, and for the first time, there
were no poetic posts from gen, no smiling photos, no
hashtags about love, just silence. What investigators would find next
(19:20):
was the horrifying result of the Hart family's suv crashing
through a small retaining wall and plummeting down a one
hundred foot cliff. It was clear from the scene that
the family had left their home in a panic. Dona decalb,
the concerned neighbor, who had already witnessed signs of abuse,
(19:40):
couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.
She had known in her gut that the Hearts were running.
That much had been obvious an but no amount of
suspicion could have prepared her for the grim truth that
was about to unfold. Just two days before the crash,
on the twenty fourth of March twenty eighteen, Jennifer and
(20:03):
Sarah Hart loaded all six of their adopted children into
their suv. They told the kids they were going on
a road trip. It wasn't unusual for the family to
take unannounced trips, but this time felt different. Rushed, urgent,
almost desperate, Jennifer got behind the wheel and drove off
(20:25):
in a hurry, even smashing through a small wall in
the process, which would later become a disturbing piece of
the puzzle. Unlike her usual social media fanfare, there were
no cheerful posts or photo updates about this so called
road trip. But what there was, however, was a digital
(20:45):
breadcrumb trail. Cell phone data pinged off several towers along
the coastal highways as the family traveled south, leaving Washington,
moving through Oregon, and eventually making their way into northern California.
Along the way, they made a brief stop at a
service station to buy food, but the children never got
(21:07):
out of the car. They remained hidden, quiet, invisible. On
March twenty fifth, the day before CPS returned to find
the Harthouse eerily empty, a security camera caught footage of
Jennifer at a Safeway grocery store. The next known stop
was at a wal Mart in California. There, Sarah bought
(21:28):
a large bottle of benedrol, a common allergy medication known
for causing extreme drowsiness in high doses. After the purchase,
Sarah returned to the SUV and prepared sandwiches for the children,
carefully slipping doses of benedrol into their food. Nineteen year
old Marcus was given the largest dose, around twenty pills.
(21:51):
At the same time, Jennifer, who was not a regular drinker,
began consuming several beers. It was deeply uncharacteristic behavior for her,
but that day was clearly different. Once the kids had
eaten unknowingly drugged, Sarah and Jennifer got back into their seats.
Jennifer was still behind the wheel even after drinking, and Sarah,
(22:14):
phone in hand began searching for disturbing things like how
much benedrill would it take to kill a one hundred
thirty pound woman and how long does it take to
die from drowning in hypothermia? She even searched does it
hurt to die? After those searches, Sarah swallowed forty two
(22:35):
pills of benadrill herself. It's chilling to imagine what was
going through her mind, whether she was terrified, numb, or
just resigned to what was coming. In the early morning
hours of March twenty sixth, the family left Walmart and
continued their drive along the rugged coastline. Some time after
(22:56):
they arrived at a cliff near Westport, California. The children
were still in the back seat, unbuckled, sedated, and barely conscious.
The suv stopped briefly near the edge of the cliff,
just long enough for the final decision to be made. Then,
without hesitation, Jennifer pressed her foot down on the gas pedal.
(23:18):
The car shot forward, accelerated toward the edge, and flew
off the one hundred foot cliff, plunging toward the rocky
ocean below, at an estimated ninety miles per hour. At
around four fifteen in the afternoon on that same day,
officers were alerted to a vehicle wreckage spotted at the
base of the cliff near Westport. When emergency crews arrived,
(23:42):
they found the suv upside down and partially submerged in
sea water. Floating near by were the lifeless bodies of Abigail, Jeremiah,
and Marcus Hart. Once the vehicle was raised from the water,
the remains of Jennifer and Sarah were also found. Five
members of the family were now confirmed dead. All of
(24:04):
them had died from blunt force trauma caused by the impact.
There was no mystery, no technical malfunction, no chance of
it being a freak accident. The crash was deliberate, It
was calculated. It was murder Irman.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
The Heart Suv went from standing still to gas pedal
floor as Jennifer Hart sat behind the wheel legally drunk.
We have the vehicle going from thirty four percent throttle
to one hundred percent throttle, and there's no subsequent application
of the break.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
As the investigation deepened, the missing children, Hannah, Sierra, and
DeVante became the center of desperate hope. Maybe they hadn't
been in the car, maybe they'd escaped, Maybe just maybe
there was still a chance. Their faces were plastered on
missing persons bulletins, news reports, and community boards, but hope
(24:58):
quickly dwindled. Just two weeks after the crash, Sierra's body
was discovered floating in the water near the crash site,
and two months later, a small human foot washed ashore
and was confirmed through DNA testing to belong to Hannah Hart.
To this day, DeVante's body has never been recovered. Authorities
(25:20):
believe the ocean likely claimed him, pulling him out to
sea forever. In the early hours after the crash, some
investigators still held on to the theory that maybe this
was some tragic accident, that perhaps Jennifer fell asleep at
the wheel or the brakes gave out, But all evidence
told a different story. There were no skid marks near
(25:43):
the edge of the cliff, no signs that anyone attempted
to break or swerve. The vehicle's black box its onboard
computer confirmed this. It showed the suv coming to a
brief stop, then accelerating rapidly off the cliff's edge. It
was not an accident. It was intentional. It was final.
(26:03):
When authorities searched the Heart home, what they found was haunting.
There were no signs that children had lived there, no toys,
no books, no signs of laughter or life. The picture
frames on the wall were all empty. Inside it was cold, sterile,
and devoid of joy. Autopsies revealed that nearly all the
(26:24):
children were severely underweight, despite being teenagers. Their bodies were
the size of much younger kids, some equivalent to a
toddler's weight. They had been starved, both physically and emotionally.
The smiling photos Jennifer had shared online were staged, the
happy captions were lies, and the story of a loving
(26:48):
alternative family was nothing more than a polished, social media
ready fantasy. In the end, Jennifer and Sarah Hart weren't
the selfless heroes they wanted the world to see. They
weren't brave mothers or progressive role models. They were manipulative, controlling,
and terrified of being exposed. Rather than face the consequences
(27:10):
of their actions, rather than risk losing control over the
children they so desperately wanted to display like trophies, they
chose the unthinkable. They murdered six innocent children to protect
their own fragile egos and twisted reputations. It's sickening, its
heart breaking, and worst of all, it was entirely preventable.
(27:35):
Will never truly know why Jennifer and Sarah did what
they did. Maybe they were overwhelmed, drowning in debt, exhausted
by the responsibilities of raising six adopted children, but even
if that were true, it doesn't justify this. They had options,
they had time, they had a choice, and They chose
a death not just for themselves, but for the very
(27:58):
children they were supposed to protect. The system failed them,
The state failed them, CPS didn't act fast enough despite
repeated warnings, and ultimately six young lives were stolen in
one of the most senseless and chilling crimes in modern
American history. These children, Abigail, Hannah, Marcus, Sierra, Jeremiah, and DeVante,
(28:22):
deserved better. They were already dealt a hard hand in life,
born into circumstances that required intervention, and instead of finding
the healing and safety they needed, they ended up in
the hands of two women who saw them as props
for internet fame. They were neglected, abused, isolated, and ultimately
(28:43):
discarded in the most violent way imaginable. This wasn't just
a failure of parenting. It was a failure of humanity,
of oversight, of compassion. It's impossible to find a silver
lining in this story. There is no twist, ending or
lesson that makes it okay. The only thing we can
(29:03):
do is remember these children, speak their names, and keep
telling their story so that something like this never happens again.
Let their lives remind us that we need to do better.
As neighbors, as communities, as a system, and let us
never forget that beneath the smiles and hashtags were real
kids with real dreams, silenced forever. Now, I really want
(29:28):
to hear your thoughts. Do you think this heartbreaking tragedy
could have been prevented or do you believe Jennifer and
Sarah adopted these children with the sole intention of using
and abusing them from the very start.
This photo of a young boy hugging a police officer
became one of the most viral images shared around the
world during the Black Lives Matter protests, and if you
live anywhere near Washington State, chances are you've heard of
that same boy. A member of the so called Heart Tribe.
This family made waves on Facebook, constantly posting photos of
(00:23):
what looked like a happy, blended home, two smiling moms
and six adopted black children. People praised them for their activism,
their unity, and their picture perfect moments that seemed too
good to be true. But nothing, and I mean nothing,
could have prepared the world for what came next. What
(00:43):
looked beautiful on the surface would soon reveal something far
darker underneath. It's one of those stories that reminds us
just how deceiving appearances can be, and how even the
most heartwarming images can hide a heart breaking truth.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
They portray this happy little family, and yet you know
the night before their daughter's tying as please, please, please,
begging is not to make her go back, and that
they were abusing her, and then DeVante coming over here
and telling us that you know, he's being starved to.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
Death, and the family they were talking about was the
Heart family, the same ones we mentioned earlier as the
Heart Tribe. To understand how their story began, we head
up north to the quiet, rarely spotlighted state of South Dakota.
Tucked in the heart of mainland America. South Dakota is
(01:42):
known for its wide open spaces, breathtaking prairies, and landmarks
like bad Lands National Park. It's the kind of place
where people fish, hunt and hike for fun, a peaceful
contrast to the noise of city life. And in this
calm and rural backdrop is where Jennifer Hart and Sarah
Gangler first crossed paths. Jennifer was from Huron and Sarah
(02:07):
grew up near a tiny place called Big Stone City.
And when we say tiny, we mean it. With a
population of just about five hundred people, it could barely
fill a single passenger jet. Both Jennifer and Sarah had
surprisingly similar upbringings, the oldest siblings in their families, raised
(02:28):
in rural towns, and both did well enough in high
school to go on to college. They each dreamed of
becoming school teachers, with Sarah focusing specifically on special education.
By what seemed like coincidence or maybe fate, both women
ended up transferring to Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
(02:52):
That was back in nineteen ninety nine, and neither of
them could have guessed that what started as classmates would
quickly grow into French ship and eventually a romantic relationship.
But let's not forget this was rural South Dakota in
the late nineties and being openly gay wasn't exactly easy,
(03:14):
especially not when you've grown up in tight knit, traditional communities.
So Jennifer and Sarah kept their relationship a secret, telling
friends and family they were just close pals. Eventually, Jennifer
dropped out of college before finishing her course, but Sarah
stuck it out and earned her degree in special education.
(03:35):
After graduation, they both decided it was time to stop hiding.
They came out publicly, and while they knew not everyone
would accept them, they were ready, and sure enough, some
friends walked away, but they stood by each other and
decided to start fresh, moving to Alexandria, Minnesota, a charming
(03:56):
city known for its lakes and calm lifestyle. Once settled
in Alexandria, they both found work at the biggest department
store in town. Sarah climbed the ranks to management, while
Jennifer remained in the junior's section. Co Workers described Sarah
as calm and reserved, while Jennifer was bold, brash, and
(04:19):
sometimes hard to get along with. But together they somehow
balanced each other out, like Yin and Yang, each one
filling in the other's gaps. By their mid twenties, though
they both felt something was missing. Their routine had become
too quiet, too predictable. That's when they decided to become
(04:39):
foster parents, something that many see as a beautiful and
meaningful way to grow a family and make a difference.
They were young, educated, and employed, so they qualified. In
two thousand fourteen. They took in their first foster child,
a fifteen year old girl named Lee. At first, it
(05:00):
all seemed great. Jennifer and Sarah took Lee on trips,
brought her to events, and tried to create lasting memories.
They went camping, visited amusement parks. On the surface, it
looked like a picture perfect start, but only a few
months later cracks begin to show. People around them started
(05:22):
noticing that Jennifer and Sarah often complained about Lee, mocking
her habits, attitude, and interests. They even told others that
Lee had a habit of picking food from the trash,
which said more about their judgment than about the child herself.
The foster experience that started with such excitement quickly soured. Still,
(05:43):
the couple pressed on bringing in more children. Eventually, Lee
found herself watching Jennifer and Sarah gush over photos of
two new kids. They planned to adopt a younger brother
and sister, and even talking about adopting a fourth child
from a pregnant woman once the baby was born. But
that excitement didn't include Lee. Just a week later, she
(06:06):
was dropped off at what she thought was a normal
therapist appointment, only to be told that Jennifer and Sarah
weren't coming back. No goodbye, no explanation. They'd completely abandoned her,
just like that. She was out of their lives. By
two thousand and six, two years after sending Lee back
(06:27):
into the foster care system, Jennifer and Sarah officially adopted
three children, two year old Abigail, four year old Hannah,
and seven year old Marcus. Statistically, these children were considered
hard to place. Sadly, race still plays a big role
in adoption rates, and all three were black siblings, which
(06:48):
meant they had to be adopted together, something many families
were unwilling or unable to do. But Jennifer and Sarah
took them in and on the outside it looked like
a beauty act of compassion. Now this is where Jennifer
Hart really began curating the image of her so called
perfect family online. She started regularly posting on Facebook documenting
(07:13):
what she called their first night as a family of five.
But instead of warmth and sweetness, the night sounded chaotic,
even alarming. She described incidents of urination, someone pooping on
the walls, a child taking a tumble, and one even
needing the Heimlich maneuver. It was wild, and while most
(07:36):
parents would probably panic or keep something like that private,
Jen shared it openly, almost like it was some quirky adventure.
She wrote that the kids were difficult, misbehaved, and deeply troubled,
but insisted that she and Sarah were in it for
the long haul. If not us, who will, she said,
as if they were the last hope for these children.
(07:58):
And while raising three traumatiz's children is undeniably tough, it
didn't stop Jen and Sarah from applying to adopt even
more just two years Later, in the spring of two
thousand and eight, their application was approved once again. This
time they were given three more children, five year old Davante,
(08:18):
four year old Jeremiah, and three year old Sierra. With
six adopted kids now in their care, all black children
and all from troubled backgrounds, the cracks in the family
dynamics started to show. Not long after the new editions arrived,
things took a troubling turn. That same year, Hannah showed
(08:39):
up to school with visible bruises on her legs. When
her teacher asked what happened, Hannah said one of her
mothers had hit her with a belt, But when Jen
and Sarah were questioned, they brushed it off. They claimed
ignorance and said maybe Hannah got the bruises while playing. Shockingly,
no charges were filed. But what happened next was even
(09:02):
more suspicious. All three kids were pulled out of school
just like that. It wasn't until social services were notified
that the children were eventually re enrolled. Still, the warning
signs were growing louder. Despite all of this, Jen kept
her social media active, carefully painting a rosy picture of
(09:23):
their unconventional family. Two white lesbian moms raising six beautiful
black children. Sarah stayed working in retail, supporting them financially,
while Jen became a full time stay at home mom.
But she wasn't just staying home. She took the kids
on trips to what she called transformation festivals. These were
(09:45):
multi day events filled with music, dancing, yoga, and a
kind of bohemian spiritual atmosphere. That lifestyle shift eventually led
the family to leave Minnesota and moved to Oregon in
twenty thirteen, drawn to a more accepting community and closer
proximity to their favorite musicians and events. Not long after
(10:08):
the move, Jen and Sarah officially tied the knot, with
Sarah taking Jennifer's last name Heart along with the children.
From that point forward, Jen's Facebook became a full blown
highlight reel. Post after posts showed smiling kids in flower crowns,
group hugs at festivals, gardening sessions, or artsy candid shots
(10:31):
around the house. Her captions were filled with talk of love, healing, community,
and acceptance, the kind of content that raked in likes
and shares. The public was enamored. People saw them as
selfless heroes, two moms who had stepped up to save
six children and were raising them in a peaceful, progressive bubble.
(10:54):
It was a perfectly curated story and it worked. The
world applauded, But behind those filtered moments and carefully chosen
words was a reality that was anything but loving. Government
reports and school records started telling a different story. Teachers
had noticed bruises on the children. Some of them had
(11:16):
even confided that they were locked in rooms or denied
food at home. In fact, some of the kids resorted
to stealing food from classmates just to get by. Abigail
told one teacher that Jennifer had punished her by dunking
her head in cold water, then slapping her across the face.
(11:36):
Yet every time something serious was reported, the Hart family
seemed to slip through the cracks, and then, just like before,
they removed the children from school entirely, this time permanently.
They claimed they were switching to home schooling. It didn't
stop there. Whistle Blowers, neighbors, friends, even acquaintances started contacting
(12:01):
child protective services. Their reports were deeply disturbing. They said
Jen ran the house like a strict boot camp, the
children were terrified of her. One particularly dark claim was
that Jen controlled food access not just as punishment, but
as leverage. She reportedly withheld meals unless the kids posed
(12:23):
for happy, affectionate photos that she could post online. Photographers
who worked with the family said the same thing. The
kids would beam for the camera on cue, obedient and cheerful,
but as soon as the camera was gone, the smiles vanished,
the light in their eyes disappeared. The transformation was eerie,
(12:44):
like someone flipping a switch.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Now.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
The CPS eventually got involved again and began interviewing the
Hart children about their home life. You'd think this would
be the turning point, right, But strangely, during these interviews,
each child gave ear similar answers, almost like they had
been rehearsed. One by one. They all denied any abuse
happening at home. No red flags, no cries for help,
(13:10):
just calm, uniform responses that made it seem like everything
was perfectly fine. But that's exactly what made it so unsettling. Then,
in the year twenty fourteen, Davante Hart, one of Jen
and Sarah's youngest adopted sons, became a viral sensation. His photo,
taken during a Black Lives Matter protest, showed him tearfully
(13:32):
hugging a white police officer while holding a free hug sign.
The image tugged at people's hearts, became a symbol of
hope and quickly spread across the internet. Davante was dubbed
the boy who hugged a cop, and the story got
so big that it was featured on national news outlets
and even made its way to Saturday Night Live. Jen,
(13:55):
who had always craved attention, basked in the public love.
Her social media was filled with emotional captions and curated
images of her family doing crafts, gardening, or attending rallies.
The message was always the same, love, peace, healing, unity.
It looked like the dream family. But by the time
(14:16):
twenty sixteen rolled around, Jen's Facebook suddenly went silent. No
more posts, no more updates, just nothing. It wasn't until
the following year, twenty seventeen, that Jen resurfaced online, but
this time her tone was different, defensive. She posted that
people around them didn't understand their progressive, alternative lifestyle. Behind
(14:42):
those vague words, though, something more strategic was happening. CPS
was circling again, Investigations were heating up, and instead of
facing it, Jen and Sarah packed up and moved quietly,
no fanfare, no goodbye posts, just a silent escape ape
to Woodland, Washington. There they found a large, two story
(15:03):
farmhouse out in the countryside. It was remote, peaceful, and
most importantly, out of the spotlight. Jen restarted her Facebook again,
trying to pick up where she left off. New posts,
new family photos, the same old We're living in love narrative.
But behind the filtered photos, the truth was unraveling fast.
(15:28):
One night, in the middle of a warm July evening,
something terrifying happened. Fifteen year old Hannah Hart jumped out
of her second story bedroom window and ran barefoot to
a neighbor's house, the home of Donna and Bruce Decalb.
It was past two in the morning, and the couple
was woken by frantic knocking. There was Hannah, scared, hungry,
(15:50):
and begging not to be taken back home. The Decalbs
were shocked, and before long the rest of the Hart
family was outside calling for Hannah. When Jen finally got
to their door, she coolly brushed it all off, saying
Hannah was lying for attention. But Donna and Bruce didn't
feel right about it. Something about Hannah's panic, her fear
(16:13):
just didn't sit well. The next day, Donna's daughter called
the police. She told them there's some kids I feel
are being highly abused. She described how Hannah jumped out
of the window and begged to stay hidden, and how
later the kids came back, all lined up, stiffly and
repeating the same thing, that everything was fine. It was
(16:36):
clear something wasn't.
Speaker 3 (16:38):
Yeah, there's some kids that I feel is being highly abused. Okay,
I'm going to give to the address of my daughter's
house because it's roy in at door. Okay, let's Yana.
The other night, a little girls jumped out of the
second story window on the roof and then down on
the ground and ran to my daughter, And this is
like two in the morning, begging them to help her,
(16:59):
to help her. And when they came looking for her,
she was begging my daughter not to let them know
she was there. And then eventually my son in law
let them know. And then she had all four of
the kids come back later and to say everything was okay,
and they're all standing at attention like they were just
scared to death. And I think there's something very serious
(17:22):
going on there. I'm very concerned for these kids.
Speaker 1 (17:26):
The very next day, the de Kalbs received a letter
that was supposedly written by Hannah apologizing for her behavior,
but the wording it didn't sound like a fifteen year old.
It was overly formal, rehearsed, almost like someone else had
written it. Donna and Bruce didn't want drama with the neighbors,
but now they were on alert. Donna started keeping a
(17:50):
diary noting everything she observed. The blinds in the heart
Hoome were always closed, the kids looked thinner every time
she saw them, were never seen outside playing. It was
like they were being hidden. And then came DeVante. This
time the approach was quieter. He knocked on their door
(18:10):
and calmly asked for food. He told them he was
always hungry and asked if they could leave some snacks
at the edge of the property, somewhere his parents wouldn't see,
and in a heartbreaking moment, he quietly admitted that everything
Hannah had said was true. He even asked them to
contact social services. That was it. The Decalbs called child
(18:33):
services and on March twenty third, twenty eighteen, CPS showed
up at the Heart Home to check in, but when
they arrived, there was no answer, no movement, No one
came to the door. They left a note and returned
a few days later, but when they came back, things
had taken a chilling turn. The driveway was completely empty,
(18:56):
the family's suv was gone, Debris and concrete blocks were
scattered in front of the house. The Hart family had
vanished without a trace, and for the first time, there
were no poetic posts from gen, no smiling photos, no
hashtags about love, just silence. What investigators would find next
(19:20):
was the horrifying result of the Hart family's suv crashing
through a small retaining wall and plummeting down a one
hundred foot cliff. It was clear from the scene that
the family had left their home in a panic. Dona decalb,
the concerned neighbor, who had already witnessed signs of abuse,
(19:40):
couldn't shake the feeling that something was very, very wrong.
She had known in her gut that the Hearts were running.
That much had been obvious an but no amount of
suspicion could have prepared her for the grim truth that
was about to unfold. Just two days before the crash,
on the twenty fourth of March twenty eighteen, Jennifer and
(20:03):
Sarah Hart loaded all six of their adopted children into
their suv. They told the kids they were going on
a road trip. It wasn't unusual for the family to
take unannounced trips, but this time felt different. Rushed, urgent,
almost desperate, Jennifer got behind the wheel and drove off
(20:25):
in a hurry, even smashing through a small wall in
the process, which would later become a disturbing piece of
the puzzle. Unlike her usual social media fanfare, there were
no cheerful posts or photo updates about this so called
road trip. But what there was, however, was a digital
(20:45):
breadcrumb trail. Cell phone data pinged off several towers along
the coastal highways as the family traveled south, leaving Washington,
moving through Oregon, and eventually making their way into northern California.
Along the way, they made a brief stop at a
service station to buy food, but the children never got
(21:07):
out of the car. They remained hidden, quiet, invisible. On
March twenty fifth, the day before CPS returned to find
the Harthouse eerily empty, a security camera caught footage of
Jennifer at a Safeway grocery store. The next known stop
was at a wal Mart in California. There, Sarah bought
(21:28):
a large bottle of benedrol, a common allergy medication known
for causing extreme drowsiness in high doses. After the purchase,
Sarah returned to the SUV and prepared sandwiches for the children,
carefully slipping doses of benedrol into their food. Nineteen year
old Marcus was given the largest dose, around twenty pills.
(21:51):
At the same time, Jennifer, who was not a regular drinker,
began consuming several beers. It was deeply uncharacteristic behavior for her,
but that day was clearly different. Once the kids had
eaten unknowingly drugged, Sarah and Jennifer got back into their seats.
Jennifer was still behind the wheel even after drinking, and Sarah,
(22:14):
phone in hand began searching for disturbing things like how
much benedrill would it take to kill a one hundred
thirty pound woman and how long does it take to
die from drowning in hypothermia? She even searched does it
hurt to die? After those searches, Sarah swallowed forty two
(22:35):
pills of benadrill herself. It's chilling to imagine what was
going through her mind, whether she was terrified, numb, or
just resigned to what was coming. In the early morning
hours of March twenty sixth, the family left Walmart and
continued their drive along the rugged coastline. Some time after
(22:56):
they arrived at a cliff near Westport, California. The children
were still in the back seat, unbuckled, sedated, and barely conscious.
The suv stopped briefly near the edge of the cliff,
just long enough for the final decision to be made. Then,
without hesitation, Jennifer pressed her foot down on the gas pedal.
(23:18):
The car shot forward, accelerated toward the edge, and flew
off the one hundred foot cliff, plunging toward the rocky
ocean below, at an estimated ninety miles per hour. At
around four fifteen in the afternoon on that same day,
officers were alerted to a vehicle wreckage spotted at the
base of the cliff near Westport. When emergency crews arrived,
(23:42):
they found the suv upside down and partially submerged in
sea water. Floating near by were the lifeless bodies of Abigail, Jeremiah,
and Marcus Hart. Once the vehicle was raised from the water,
the remains of Jennifer and Sarah were also found. Five
members of the family were now confirmed dead. All of
(24:04):
them had died from blunt force trauma caused by the impact.
There was no mystery, no technical malfunction, no chance of
it being a freak accident. The crash was deliberate, It
was calculated. It was murder Irman.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
The Heart Suv went from standing still to gas pedal
floor as Jennifer Hart sat behind the wheel legally drunk.
We have the vehicle going from thirty four percent throttle
to one hundred percent throttle, and there's no subsequent application
of the break.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
As the investigation deepened, the missing children, Hannah, Sierra, and
DeVante became the center of desperate hope. Maybe they hadn't
been in the car, maybe they'd escaped, Maybe just maybe
there was still a chance. Their faces were plastered on
missing persons bulletins, news reports, and community boards, but hope
(24:58):
quickly dwindled. Just two weeks after the crash, Sierra's body
was discovered floating in the water near the crash site,
and two months later, a small human foot washed ashore
and was confirmed through DNA testing to belong to Hannah Hart.
To this day, DeVante's body has never been recovered. Authorities
(25:20):
believe the ocean likely claimed him, pulling him out to
sea forever. In the early hours after the crash, some
investigators still held on to the theory that maybe this
was some tragic accident, that perhaps Jennifer fell asleep at
the wheel or the brakes gave out, But all evidence
told a different story. There were no skid marks near
(25:43):
the edge of the cliff, no signs that anyone attempted
to break or swerve. The vehicle's black box its onboard
computer confirmed this. It showed the suv coming to a
brief stop, then accelerating rapidly off the cliff's edge. It
was not an accident. It was intentional. It was final.
(26:03):
When authorities searched the Heart home, what they found was haunting.
There were no signs that children had lived there, no toys,
no books, no signs of laughter or life. The picture
frames on the wall were all empty. Inside it was cold, sterile,
and devoid of joy. Autopsies revealed that nearly all the
(26:24):
children were severely underweight, despite being teenagers. Their bodies were
the size of much younger kids, some equivalent to a
toddler's weight. They had been starved, both physically and emotionally.
The smiling photos Jennifer had shared online were staged, the
happy captions were lies, and the story of a loving
(26:48):
alternative family was nothing more than a polished, social media
ready fantasy. In the end, Jennifer and Sarah Hart weren't
the selfless heroes they wanted the world to see. They
weren't brave mothers or progressive role models. They were manipulative, controlling,
and terrified of being exposed. Rather than face the consequences
(27:10):
of their actions, rather than risk losing control over the
children they so desperately wanted to display like trophies, they
chose the unthinkable. They murdered six innocent children to protect
their own fragile egos and twisted reputations. It's sickening, its
heart breaking, and worst of all, it was entirely preventable.
(27:35):
Will never truly know why Jennifer and Sarah did what
they did. Maybe they were overwhelmed, drowning in debt, exhausted
by the responsibilities of raising six adopted children, but even
if that were true, it doesn't justify this. They had options,
they had time, they had a choice, and They chose
a death not just for themselves, but for the very
(27:58):
children they were supposed to protect. The system failed them,
The state failed them, CPS didn't act fast enough despite
repeated warnings, and ultimately six young lives were stolen in
one of the most senseless and chilling crimes in modern
American history. These children, Abigail, Hannah, Marcus, Sierra, Jeremiah, and DeVante,
(28:22):
deserved better. They were already dealt a hard hand in life,
born into circumstances that required intervention, and instead of finding
the healing and safety they needed, they ended up in
the hands of two women who saw them as props
for internet fame. They were neglected, abused, isolated, and ultimately
(28:43):
discarded in the most violent way imaginable. This wasn't just
a failure of parenting. It was a failure of humanity,
of oversight, of compassion. It's impossible to find a silver
lining in this story. There is no twist, ending or
lesson that makes it okay. The only thing we can
(29:03):
do is remember these children, speak their names, and keep
telling their story so that something like this never happens again.
Let their lives remind us that we need to do better.
As neighbors, as communities, as a system, and let us
never forget that beneath the smiles and hashtags were real
kids with real dreams, silenced forever. Now, I really want
(29:28):
to hear your thoughts. Do you think this heartbreaking tragedy
could have been prevented or do you believe Jennifer and
Sarah adopted these children with the sole intention of using
and abusing them from the very start.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!