PORTLAND — A woman who reported Devonte Hart’s parents to Oregon child welfare officials nearly five years ago is now pushing for the creation of a national child abuse registry.
Alexandra Argyropoulos launched an online petition, “Protect Our Children — Call For A National Child Abuse Registry,” two weeks after the Hart family’s GMC Yukon plunged off a cliff along the California coast, an incident investigators believe was intentional.
The horrific crash, which killed mothers Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, and at least three of their children, came days after a visit to the family’s Woodland home by child protective services.
Authorities on Friday said toxicology reports show Jennifer Hart was drunk when she drove the SUV off the cliff.
Sarah Hart and two of their kids also had “a significant amount” of an ingredient commonly found in Benadryl, which can make people sleepy, according to The Associated Press.
The married moms had also faced child abuse accusations in Minnesota and Oregon, where they previously lived with their six children, ages 12 to 19, records show.
The parents appear to have been aided by limited communication between state agencies and the absence of a central nationwide registry for child abuse or child welfare reports.
“How is it in this great country of ours, two mothers with a history of reported child abuse in three states, disclosed by at least six adults, over a ten-year span still have custody of six children?” Argyropoulos emailed The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“I believe each abuse case investigation’s outcome would’ve been different if the state agencies had access to all prior information.”
Argyropoulos said she contacted Oregon’s Department of Human Services in July 2013 after being alarmed by the parents’ treatment of their children during two visits the Hart family, which was then living in West Linn, made to her Bay Area home.
On the second trip, Jennifer Hart and the six children stayed for two weeks without Sarah. That’s when Argyropoulos says she witnessed the mom act “unnecessarily cruel” toward her kids.
“I noticed that she ran [her] family like a regimented boot camp, where true kindness, love, and respect for the children was largely absent,” Argyropoulos said.
She said Jennifer Hart disciplined the children if they laughed loudly or took a small piece of food without permission. As punishment, some weren’t allowed to talk for the day. Others had to stand in corner and stare at a wall for extended periods of time.
But what most alarmed Argyropoulos was that Hart repeatedly withheld meals from the children, who appeared constantly hungry. When the host confronted the mother, Hart said her kids had issues with food before adoption.
“I was disturbed to see her eat larger meals in front of the children when I knew that food was being withheld from them,” Argyropoulos said.
Oregon officials would not discuss what child welfare workers learned when they went to check on Markis, Hannah, DeVonte, Jeremiah, Abigail and Sierra after Argyropoulos reported the parents.
West Linn police records show DHS had been alerted to potential abuse or neglect at the family’s home.
The former friend said authorities told her the children had been interviewed and were likely coached in their responses.
“During my last call, I was told that their hands were tied and there was nothing more they could do because there wasn’t enough evidence to make a case,” Argyropoulos said. “I feel that the social worker took my report seriously and felt as defeated as I did.”
Records and interviews with friends and neighbors show Jennifer and Sarah Hart were repeatedly accused of depriving their children meals as punishment over the years.
One of their children, Abigail, told Minnesota authorities in 2010 that Jennifer Hart withheld food from her when she misbehaved, according to a police report.
The girl, who was 6 at the time, was also found with large bruises on her back and stomach, and said her mother struck her with a closed fist.
Last month, Devonte Hart made multiple visits to the family’s neighbors in Woodland to ask for food. He said his parents were not feeding him and his siblings, which prompted the neighbors to call state authorities, according to records and interviews.
Argyropoulos created her petition on the popular “We The People” website, which the federal government oversees. If it gathers 100,000 signatures by May 9, White House officials will respond to it.
“This tragic story is just one of many that highlight our immediate need for reform,” she said. “We can provide state agencies the resources they need to investigate reports of abuse thoroughly.”
