The speedometer of the SUV that hurtled over a cliff in California this past week, leaving at least five people dead, was “pinned” at 90 miles per hour, officials revealed over the weekend.
The car plunged about 100 feet off a cliff along the Pacific Coast Highway on March 26, leaving officials puzzled because the area of the dangerous road wasn’t directly next to the cliff. Many parts of the Pacific Coast Highway are considered dangerous, with few guardrails along the edge.
Court documents state they found no “acceleration marks, tire friction marks or braking furrow marks” at the scene, KPTV reported.
Officials later identified the victims as two women and three children, all members of the Hart family. The family resided in Oregon before moving to Woodland, Washington State, last year.
Authorities believe three other children may have been carried out to sea.
Jennifer and Sarah Hart, the two women, are listed as adoptive parents of six children.
The search warrant was served on Thursday, March 29, and included items such as a travel itinerary, bank records, and cell phone records.
Authorities also hunted for possible suicide notes. No details about the findings of the served warrants have been released as of yet.
Court documents stated that officials believe “a felony has been committed.”
Neighbors of the family in Woodland said they had contacted Child Protective Services after one of the adopted children came to their home begging for food for he and his siblings.
In 2011, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty to abusing one of the children, Abigail, who was then six-years-old. The girl told officers that one of her parents hit her with a closed fist, shoved her head into a cold bath, and then hit her again.
In 2013, Oregon officers responded to a call at the home after a Department of Human Services referral.
The Hart family left their home on March 23, the same day employees with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services tried to contact them.
