California crash: Foster mother of black boy in viral photo had domestic violence conviction and punished children with starvation

New details revealed about the tragic death of foster children whose mothers drove off a cliff in California while fleeing Child Protective services paint a dark picture around the family.

One of the victims, Devonte Hart, hugged a police officer during a tense protest, a moment captured in a viral image.

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman now believe that Devonte was in the car that plunged off the side of a coastal highway, along with his five brothers and sisters. Allman said that he had no evidence to suggest that the act was intentional, but also said it was a clear day and that there were no skid or brake marks at the point where the GMC Yukon flew off the cliff, the Oregonian reports. The vehicle had to cross a flat 75-foot expanse of gravel between the roadway and the the cliff.

“I was at the scene two days ago, and I can tell you it was a very confusing scene, because there were no skid marks,” Allman told the Press Democrat. “There were no brake marks. There was no indication of why this vehicle traversed approximately over 75 feet of a dirt pullout and went into the Pacific Ocean.”

Authorities in Portland said the family appeared to be taking a "short trip" because they left their pets and chickens unattended at their home in Woodland, Washington. Woodland is an 11 hour drive from the site of the crash.

The Hart family was well-known in the Portland music scene, attending events like the New Age Beloved Festival.

They were also supporters of Bernie Sanders, with the family of eight appearing onstage during a rally in the Portland suburb of Vancouver, Washington during the 2016 election.

However, the Oregonian report details some troubling revelations.

In 2011, while the family lived in Minnesota, Sarah Hart plead guilty to domestic assault charge after her daughter was discovered to have bruises on her stomach and back. According to the records, the girl told the school that "Mom hit me."

The couple's neighbors in Woodland said they called Child Protective Services because Devonte came to their house and asked them to hide food by a fence because he and his siblings were punished with starvation when they misbehaved.

"I feel like there was nobody in [the kids'] court," neighbor Dana DeKalb said. "If there were people who knew these people, how could you miss that?"

Child Protective Services reportedly showed up at the family's home on Friday but no one answered the door. The family and their car were gone the next day, the neighbors said.

"I was trying to help them and protect them," the neighbor said. "And this is the result."

The Oregonian also talked to Bill Groener, who lived to the family's previous Portland-area resident, in the suburb of West Linn. The children were homeschooled and the family was extremely isolated, he said.

"Something just didn't seem right," he said.