Sherry Davis (right) and Clarence Celestine believe Devonte and his siblings would’ve been better off if they were allowed to stay with their biological family. (Image courtesy of The Oregonian)
The biological mother of three Black children adopted by an abusive white couple has broken her silence after learning her kids were likely killed last month after one of the women drove the family’s car off a California cliff.
Sherry Davis said she was devastated when she first heard the news, nearly a month after her three biological children, Devonte, Jeremiah and Sierra Davis, died in what was initially thought to be a tragic accident. Devonte, in particular, was the subject of a viral photo of him in a tight embrace with a police officer at a rally for slain Missouri teen Mike Brown in 2014 — a photo his mother had never seen before last Thursday, according to The Oregonian.
Jeremiah’s body was found in the car, along with the bodies of his adopted mothers Sarah and Jennifer Hart, and three other adopted children. Devonte and Sarah are still missing — but are presumed dead, authorities said.
Investigators have determined the crash was intentional, as there were no skid marks at the scene and the car’s speedometer was pinned at 90 mph. Police said Jennifer Hart was drunk while Sarah and their children were drugged with the active ingredient in Benadryl.
Davis, who lives in Texas and works as a home care attendant, learned of her children’s fates just last week and is still struggling to process it. Speaking with The Oregonian, she acknowledged her battle with cocaine addiction but said she got herself clean in hopes of one day regaining custody of her kids. That day would never come.
Clarence Celestine, the father of Jeremiah and Sierra, said he’s been unable to sleep since he heard what happened. His sister, Priscilla Celestine, fought for custody of Devonte and his siblings but was denied by a Texas court after she briefly left the three children alone with Davis, who was still on drugs at the time.
“I don’t understand why they took the kids from my sister,” Clarence Celestine, 66, told the newspaper.
“And gave them to monsters,” Davis chimed in. ” … They’re so quick to snatch [children] from people like us, but once they’re adopted, they don’t even check on them?”
Days after the crash, it was revealed that Jennifer and Sarah Hart, who adopted the Davis trio in 2009, had a history of abuse. Neighbors who spoke with Child Protective Services said the Hart children would routinely beg for food, saying their parents wouldn’t let them eat as a form of punishment. Another neighbor said one of the Hart children once jumped from a second-story window looking for help and complained that her mothers were “racist and abusive.”
Even when she was hooked on drugs, Davis insisted her children were always fed and well taken care of. After learning the Hart’s had adopted her children, the mother said she suffered a relapse.
“I gave up,” Davis said, adding that it took nearly a year for her to regain her sobriety. She’s been clean for years now, according to The Oregonian.
Davis said one last thing she hopes to do is have her children’s bodies brought back to Texas where they can be laid to rest close to her.
