Photo: Johnny Huu Nguyen/AP
In the following months, authorities would later recover the body of Sierra Hartnear the crash site that Aprilas well as the remains of Hannah Hart, which were notidentified until January 2019.
Without any signs of Devonte’s body, many hope the teen is still alive, but police say he is likely dead.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Mendocino County Sheriff-Coroner Tom Allman says that on March 15, a superior court judge determined Devonte was in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The judge’sruling will allow Allman to sign the teen’s death certificateafter the county coroner’s inquest is presented April 3.
During the two-day inquest, authorities will present evidence from the investigation to a jury, which will decide on the manner of death for each Hart family member.
“The most logical place for him was to be in the car,” Allman explains. “[This] has happened before when there’s no body found.”
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The family of eight, who resided in Woodland, Washington, were affectionately known as the “Hart tribe.” They found internet fame in 2014 when a photo went viral of Devonte tearfully hugging an officer at a protest in Oregon following a police shooting of an unarmed black man in Ferguson, Missouri.
Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian/AP
The crash was initially reported to be an accident, butauthorities announcedin April they believed it to have been a deliberate act.
The motive of the crash remains unknown. However,Sarah and Jennifer had past allegations of child abuse againstthem in multiple states.
Allman hopes the inquest will help answer the public’s questions about the case and bring as much closure as possible.
“There is a heaping amount of evidence andhonestly it belongs to the public,”Allman says. “There’s just so many unknowns on this, but now we think we know a lot of the unknowns.”
The inquest will be live-streamed on theMendocino County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go towww.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
