The car crash off a California cliff presumed to have killed all eight members of a family from Washington state — including a teenage boy who gained attention in a viral photo — appears to be no accident, authorities said Sunday.
The crash one week ago in Mendocino County may have been intentional based on the absence of skid marks, data from air bag controllers and other information, the California Highway Patrol said.
A CHP spokesman told reporters that the GMC Yukon's on-board computer indicated that the vehicle stopped and then suddenly accelerated off Highway 1 — plunging about 70 feet down to the rocky shoreline of the Pacific Ocean.
"Pure acceleration all the way," said CHP spokesman Cal Robertson.