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WESTPORT, Calif. -- An ocean search effort continues for three more children who may have been in an SUV that went over a cliff on the California coast.

The crash left at least five family members dead. The California Highway Patrol has recovered the bodies of two married women and three of their six adopted children.

More: CHP determines crash of Calif. cliff appears to be intentional

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said investigators believe all six children were in the SUV during the crash, but a search is continuing as part of the investigation.

“We have every indication to believe all six children were in there, however only three bodies have been recovered," Allman said.

On Thursday morning, CHP officials told KGW they have removed the car. They hope an investigation will be able to tell them if the car was in park, reverse or drive when it went over the cliff. They'll also attempt to determine the amount of strain on seatbelts and other factors which will hopefully tell them more about the crash.

Investigators are also trying to piece together a timeline of where the family was before the crash, and are looking for people who may know what they were doing before Monday's crash.

Jennifer Jean Hart, 39, and Sarah Margaret Hart, 39, who recently moved to Woodland, Wash., died when a 2003 GMC Yukon drove off a dirt turnout. Three of their children, 19-year-old Markis Hart, 14-year-old Jeremiah Hart and 14-year-old Abigail Hart, were found dead after the crash.

The Hart family. From left, Hannah Hart, Abigail Hart, Sierra Hart, Jeremiah Hart, Jennifer Hart, Devonte Hart, Markis Hart and Sarah Hart.

Courtesy of Medocino County

The couple's other three children, 15-year-old Sierra Hart, 16-year-old Hannah Hart and 15-year-old Devonte Hart are considered missing.

Watch: Update from Mendocino County Sheriff's Office

Devonte Hart gained national attention when he hugged a police officer during a rally in Portland in 2014. A photo of that hug was shared by thousands of people around the world.

In this Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2014 photo, Portland police Sgt. Bret Barnum, left, and Devonte Hart, 12, hug at a rally in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Johnny Nguyen via MSNBC.com via Associated Press)

A family friend, Max Ribner, says the Harts were a loving group.

"The Hart tribe truly resembled a legacy of love and they resembled freedom and compassion and giving," he said.

Clark County sheriff's deputies checked on the family's Woodland home on Tuesday, March 27 at the request of CHP and informed California authorities that it appeared the family left on a temporary trip. No one was there, but animals and family belongings were still at the home.

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services said Child Protective Services opened an investigation into the Hart family on March 23 after children were identified as potential victims of neglect and abuse. CPS tried to contact the family on March 23, 26 and 27, according to spokeswoman Norah West. CPS had no prior history with the family and has not made any findings in the investigation.

More: Neighbors express concern about home situation of children who died in California crash

Jennifer Hart was driving the SUV into a dirt turnout area and continued off the cliff, according to the California Highway Patrol. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.

“It was a very confusing scene because there were no skid marks, there were no brake marks," Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman said the day after the crash. "There was no indication of why this vehicle traversed approximately over 75 feet of a dirt pullout and went into the Pacific Ocean.”

The vehicle was discovered at about 3:40 p.m. Monday. It's not clear when the crash occurred.

Rescue crews rappelled down the cliff to reach the SUV, which had come to rest on its roof atop a large rock in ocean waters. The two women were still in the SUV and three of the children's bodies were found outside of the vehicle.

None of the children wore seat belts, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies are searching the beach with boats, drones and aircraft. They plan to use divers as soon as the ocean conditions allow.

Photos: SUV goes over cliff on California coast

Photos: SUV goes over cliff on California coast The tire tracks of the SUV that Jennifer Hart drove off a cliff with Sarah Hart and their children. (Alvin Jordana/Santa Rosa Press Democrat) The pullout where Jennifer Hart of Woodland, Wash., drove over the cliff with Sarah Hart and their children. (Alvin Jordana/Santa Rose Press Democrat) A small vase of flowers sits beside the Highway 1 mile marker where Jennifer Hart drove over a cliff with Sarah Hart and their children. (Alvin Jordana/Santa Rosa Press Democrat) The Hart family (Photo: Jeni Wren Stottrup) Jennifer (left) and Sarah Hart. Two women and three children with Oregon and Washington ties died after the GMC Yukon they were in went over a cliff on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. (California Highway Patrol) The Hart family. From left, Hannah Hart, Abigail Hart, Ciera Hart, Jeremiah Hart, Jennifer Hart, Devonte Hart, Markis Hart and Sarah Hart. Two women and three children with Oregon and Washington ties died after the GMC Yukon they were in went over a cliff on the Mendocino Coast in Northern California. (California Highway Patrol)

Authorities initially said both women were from West Linn and the children were from Oregon and Washington. On Wednesday, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said the pair were married.

Records show the women co-owned property in Woodland, Wash. and they both previously lived in Minnesota.

Editor's note: The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office initially said Sierra Hart was 12 years old. On April 7, they corrected her age, saying she is actually 15 years old.

LISTEN: KXL interviews CHP Officer Olegario Marin about crash</s>A family of five from West Linn died in a crash off a cliff in California on Monday.

California High Patrol reported two adults and three children were in the car.

Investigators said the driver drove a 2003 GMC into a large dirt turnout on the west side of SR-1 in the Ukiah area and then, for unknown reasons, drove directly off a large cliff.

The car overturned onto its roof and landed on a boulder on the beach south of Juan Creek.

Everyone in the car was killed as a result of the crash. The three children were thrown from the vehicle, according to police.

Read more HERE from KPTV.com</s>A family of five from West Linn died in a crash off a cliff in California on Monday.

California High Patrol reported two adults and three children were in the car.

Investigators said the driver drove a 2003 GMC into a large dirt turnout on the west side of SR-1 in the Ukiah area and then, for unknown reasons, drove directly off a large cliff.

The car overturned onto its roof and landed on a boulder on the beach south of Juan Creek.

Everyone in the car was killed as a result of the crash. The three children were thrown from the vehicle, according to police.

The names and ages of the family members were not included in a California High Patrol report.

Investigators said drugs and alcohol are not considered factors in this crash, but no other details were immediately released.</s>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Authorities say five people were killed when a vehicle plunged about 100 feet (30 meters) off a cliff along Northern California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway near Mendocino.

The California Highway Patrol identified the victims Tuesday as two women from West Linn, Oregon and three children. Their names and ages were not immediately mad public.

In a report on the crash, the highway patrol said a 2003 GMC was driving south along Highway 1 Monday when it pulled into a dirt turnout along the road and for unknown reasons continued directly off the cliff.

The vehicle landed on its roof on a large rock, killing all five.

Investigators said it was not clear what caused the crash.

The weather was reported as clear and drugs and alcohol were not considered factors.</s>California Highway Patrol officers and deputy sheriffs from Mendocino and Alameda counties gather after a search for three missing children Wednesday, March 28, 2018, at the site where the bodies of Jennifer and Sarah Hart and three of their adopted children were recovered two days earlier, after the family's SUV plunged over a cliff at a pullout on the Pacific Coast Highway near Westport, Calif. Three of the children, Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12, have not been found. (Alvin Jornada/The Press Democrat via AP)</s>Two women and two boys and a girl were killed when their vehicle went off a cliff at a turnout on Highway 1 north of Westport Monday.

The California Highway Patrol did not identify the victims but noted that the two women were from West Linn, Oregon.

According to the CHP, the vehicle, identified as a 2003 GMC, drove into a turnout on the west side of the highway near Juan Creek, and for unknown reasons continued driving off the edge of a large cliff.

The vehicle landed upside down on a large rock. According to the CHP, all five occupants died as a result of the collision.

Emergency responders from the Fort Bragg and Westport fire departments, California Highway Patrol, Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office worked into the night to recover the victims.</s>SAN FRANCISCO -- Authorities say five people were killed when a vehicle plunged about 100 feet off a cliff along Northern California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway near Mendocino. The California Highway Patrol identified the victims Tuesday as two women and three children.

According to CBS affiliate KOIN-TV, one of the women is 39-year-old Jennifer Jean Hart of West Linn, Oregon, while the other woman is 39-year-old Sarah Margaret Hart from Alexandria, Minnesota. The names of the children have not been released, and it's unclear what the relationship is between all of the victims.

In a report on the crash, the highway patrol said a 2003 GMC was driving south along Highway 1 Monday when it pulled into a dirt turnout along the road and for unknown reasons continued directly off the cliff. The vehicle landed on its roof on a large rock, killing all five.

A woman who owns a house near the scene told KOIN-TV the crash seemed strange because the turnoff is so large. So far it's unclear what caused the crash.

The weather was reported as clear and drugs and alcohol were not considered factors.</s>MENDOCINO, Calif. (AP) - Authorities say child welfare officials in Washington state had recently visited the home of two women who died along with three children when their vehicle plunged off a cliff in Northern California.

The California Highway Patrol identified the adult victims Wednesday as Jennifer Hart and Sarah Hart, both 39. The agency says their SUV was driving Monday on the Pacific Coast Highway when it pulled into a dirt turnout and continued driving off the cliff.

Clark County sheriff's Sgt. Brent Waddell told The Associated Press that the family lived in Woodland, Washington, and recently had a visit from Child Protective Services.

This photo provided by the California Highway Patrol shows a helicopter hovering over steep coastal cliffs Tuesday, March 27, 2018, near Mendocino, Calif., where a vehicle, visible at lower right, plunged about 100 feet off a cliff along Highway 1, killing all five passengers. The California Highway Patrol identified the victims Tuesday as two women from West Linn, Ore., and three children. (California Highway Patrol via AP)

He says the sheriff's office later entered the house and found no obvious signs of trouble or violence.</s>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Authorities say five people were killed when a vehicle plunged about 100 feet off a cliff along Northern California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway near Mendocino.

The California Highway Patrol identified the victims Tuesday as two women from West Linn and three children. The CHP said the children were from Oregon and Washington. Their names and ages were not immediately released.

In a report on the crash, the CHP said a 2003 GMC was driving south along Highway 1 on Monday when it pulled into a dirt turnout along the road and for unknown reasons continued directly off the cliff. It's unclear when the vehicle went over the cliff. It was discovered about 3:40 p.m.

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The CHP said the vehicle landed on its roof on a large rock in ocean waters, killing all five. The two women were still in the GMC, and the children's bodies were found out of the vehicle.

Rescue crews rappelled down the cliff to reach the SUV, which was partially submerged, the CHP told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The recovery operation went into the evening.

Investigators said it was not clear what caused the crash. The weather was reported as clear, and drugs and alcohol were not considered factors.</s>Authorities say a family of five was killed when the vehicle they were in plunged about 100 feet off a cliff along California's scenic Pacific Coast Highway near Mendocino.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) identified the victims on Tuesday as two women from West Linn, Oregon, and three children.

In a report on the crash, the highway patrol said a 2003 GMC Sierra truck was driving south along Highway 1 on Monday when it pulled into a dirt turnout along the road and, for unknown reasons, continued directly off the cliff.

In a photo of the crash, released by the CHP, the truck is seen on its roof on rocks just south of Juan Creek. Authorities confirmed the impact killed all five.

A CHP trooper said it is currently unclear if everyone was wearing seat belts at the time of the crash because the three children were found outside the vehicle and the two adults were still inside.

Firefighters had to rappel down the cliff to retrieve the bodies - after they were discovered around 3.40pm on Monday by a passerby - and a helicopter was called to lift them up, reported KOIN.

The weather was reported as clear, and drugs and alcohol were not considered factors. Investigators say they are not certain what caused the crash but an investigation is underway and autopsies will be performed.

A spokesperson from the CHP told DailyMail.com that the investigation is still ongoing and that the names and ages of the victims will be released once the family has been notified.

The CHP did reveal that the children were from Oregon and Washington, reported KGW. It is also unclear at this time what the relationship is between the five victims.
California Highway Patrol search and rescue operations continue off the Californian coast for three children missing following a crash which killed five of their relatives. Their car drove out of a seaside unbarricaded parking lot and off of a 75-foot cliff into the sea on March 26.