Olivia Quintanilla releases Tribute Track, “Broken Harts” [Overview]

It has been two years since national news told the horrific story of a family driving off a cliff, killing the two adults and children within. Upon hearing the story, friends, acquaintances and onlookers were met with more questions than answers. Many of those friends and acquaintances recognized the family as regular attendees of Wookiefoot’s events at Harmony Park Music Garden.

“It made me rethink how well we know ‘festival acquaintances’ and how I, personally, may have been blind to seeing child or domestic abuse while in an entertaining environment; like a music festival,” shared Olivia Quintanilla. The cellist is a regular performer at Harmony Park Music Garden with Minnesota based bands, Useful Jenkins and Iron Star. 

The Hart Family had portrayed themselves as “all-natural” and “down to earth folks.” They traveled around to music festivals, particularly ones with messages of peace, love and inclusivity. Fellow festival attendees were quick to defend Jennifer and Sarah Hart following their death, saying there was no way it could have been premeditated or malicious. Those very people remained eerily silent following the release of the family’s autopsy. The autopsy found both alcohol and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) in the adults’ systems.

A look at Sarah’s Google history, prior to the incident, revealed searches pertaining to drowning, drug combos and hypothermia. That information, paired with a paper trail of CPS visits and concerns from the children’s school, lead to only one reasonable conclusion — a murder-suicide. The family consisted of the caucasian couple and their six adopted black children: Abigail, Hannah, Marcus, Sierra, Jeremiah and Devonte. 

On September 11, Quintanilla released a music video, filmed at Harmony Park, for her new single, “Broken Harts.” The song was written by Quintanilla and features Smokin’ Joe. The straight forward, modern folk song doesn’t sugarcoat the issue while still paying tribute to the children whose lives were lost. 

It retells the family’s story and calls out the broken school and adoption systems that enabled the tragedy to take place. It also asks the “good vibes only tribe” to talk about the murder-suicide, even if it’s uncomfortable or means admitting that harm can (and does) happen within the community. 

 “I think the festival community doesn’t want to acknowledge possibly knowing or possibly being able to prevent these murders from happening,” said Quintanilla.

True healing can not begin until the source of pain has been acknowledged, something the community has failed to do for multiple, serious issues that have arisen over the years. Quintanilla’s intention behind the song is to help that healing process begin through her tune. 

“I think the festival community, and many music communities, feel a unified connection amongst fans of the same music,” said Quintanilla. “When a fan of the music you listen to does something this tragic, you wonder how you had any commonalities with that person. We did.” 

For those interested in a more in-depth understanding of the murder-suicide, the “Broken Harts” podcast dives into the paper trail following the couple and features interviews with neighbors, caseworkers, and the first girl the couple fostered. All proceeds to this song will be donated to KARA (Kids at Risk Action). The organization is a Minnesota-based non-profit advocating programs and policies that support at-risk children in the state, nation-wide and world-wide. To download the track and support KARA, follow this link.

Photos courtesy of Olivia Quintanilla.

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