Inquest into Hart Family tragedy begins, new details emerge

MENDOCINO CO., 4/3/19 — The inquest into the deaths of the Hart family began today, with testimony from various law enforcement agencies from several states detailing the tragic circumstances that eventually led to a Jennifer Hart driving the family vehicle off a cliff killing herself with her wife, Sarah, and their adopted children just over a year ago. The purpose of the inquest is to determine whether the cause of death was accidental or not. Six people testified, though much of the information that came out had already been made public over the course of the last year.

Some new details did emerged concerning difficulties with the recovery operation and the autopsies, as well as additional specifics from the toxicology reports. Today, people testifying included several California Highway Patrol officers, a Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputy, and search and rescue coordinator, a deputy from Clark County, WA, where the Harts were living before their deaths, and the forensic pathologist who performed autopsies on six of the eight people in the case.