SAN
FRANCISCO (AP) — A woman was not drunk when she drove her large family off a
Northern California cliff last month and her wife and several children
had large amounts of a drug in their systems that can cause drowsiness,
authorities said Friday. she only had ONE BEER.
Police
had previously said they believed the Hart family died in a suicide
plunge from a scenic overlook. The crash happened just days after
authorities in Washington state opened an investigation following
allegations the children were being neglected.
Preliminary
toxicology tests found Jennifer Hart had an alcohol level of 0.102,
said California Patrol Capt. Bruce Carpenter. California drivers are
considered drunk with a level of 0.08 or higher.
Toxicology
tests also found that her wife Sarah Hart and two of their children had
"a significant amount" of an ingredient commonly found in the allergy
drug Benadryl, which can make people sleepy. Toxicology results for a
third child killed are still pending, Carpenter said.
Carpenter said none of the car's occupants were wearing seat-belts.
Sarah
and Jennifer Hart and their six adopted children were believed to be in
the family's SUV when it plunged off a cliff in Mendocino County, more
than 160 miles (250 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
Authorities
have said data from the vehicle's software suggested the crash was
deliberate, though the California Highway Patrol has not concluded why
the vehicle went off an ocean overlook on a rugged part of coastline. A
specialized team of accident investigators is trying to figure that out
with help from the FBI, Carpenter said.
"We believe that the Hart incident was in fact intentional," he said.
Carpenter
said the family stopped in the small town of Naselle, Washington, near
their Woodland, Washington, home, during their drive to the California
cliff but that investigators are still trying to determine why they
stopped there and whether they contacted anyone.
Five
bodies were found March 26 near the small city of Mendocino, a few days
after Washington state authorities began investigating the Harts for
possible child neglect, but three of their children were not immediately
recovered from the scene.
Two more are missing and another body has been found but not identified.
The
100-foot (31-meter) drop killed the women, both 39, and their children
Markis Hart, 19; Jeremiah Hart, 14; and Abigail Hart, 14. Hannah Hart,
16; Devonte Hart, 15; and Sierra Hart, 12, have not been found.
Devonte drew national attention after he was photographed in tears while hugging a white police officer during a 2014 protest.
A
neighbor of the Harts in Woodland, Washington, had filed a complaint,
saying the children were apparently being deprived of food as
punishment.
Long
before the crash, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty in 2011 to a domestic
assault charge in Minnesota over what she said was a spanking given to
one of her children.
And
authorities have said social services officials in Oregon contacted the
West Linn Police Department about the family in 2013 while they were
living in the area.
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| A family of lesbians, all die - suicide pact, note under car mat. |
Baarts also cited the lack of skid marks near the cliff’s edge — indicating that the vehicle did not attempt to brake.
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