Updated: April 2, 8:55 a.m.

An SUV carrying an Oregon family may have intentionally sped off a cliff along the coast of California, killing at least five people, law enforcement officials confirmed Monday to The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Data taken from the software of the GMC Yukon driven by the Hart family shows the vehicle came to a complete stop at Route 1 pullout near the town of Westport, the California Highway Patrol said. The SUV then sped off the edge of scenic rock face and plunged 100 feet below.

That information combined with the fact that there were no skid marks at the scene has led investigators to believe the crash was no accident, authorities said.

"Based on the information we have at this time, we believe this crash may have been intentional" California Highway Patrol Officer Olegario Marin told The Oregonian/OregonLive Monday.

Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both 38, were found dead in their overturned SUV at the bottom of a cliff below a pullout on Highway 1 on March 26. Three of their six children -- Markis, 19; Abigail, 14; and Jeremiah, 14 -- were also found dead at the site.

Devonte, 15; Hannah, 16; and Sierra, 12, are still missing, though authorities believe they were in the SUV as well.

The search for the missing children has become a "recovery effort," CHP told KATU News.

The Harts six children were all adopted from southeast Texas.

The family gained some level of fame when a photo taken during a 2014 Portland protest of Devonte Hart hugging a police officer with tears streaming down his face went viral.

But the family's public appearance may not have matched what was happening in their home.

Court records show that in April of 2011, while living in Minnesota, Sarah Hart plead guilty to abusing Abigail Hart and was sentenced to a year of probation for misdemeanor domestic assault.

And earlier this month, the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services opened a Child Protective Services investigation which identified the Hart children as "potential victims of alleged abuse or neglect."

News reports Saturday said the vehicle's speedometer was "pinned" at 90 mph.

While it has previously been reported that Jennifer Hart was discovered in the driver's seat, Baarts told NBC News that CHP has not determined which woman was driving at the time of the incident.

A search warrant looking for records that may explain the crash and why the family drove to California was conducted earlier this week on the family's home.

Oregonian/OregonLive staff writer Shane Dixon Kavanaugh contributed to this report.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker