GUILTY AL - Savannah Hardin, 9, forced to run til she died, Etowah Co., 17 Feb 2012

[x_files]

I heard on NG that the Stepmom had poisoned the 3 year old boy at one point and he had to go to the ER to be saved. What was he thinking leaving his Daugher with this witch? I know it's not his fault, but poisoning a child. I'm surprised she still had custody!!

Does anyone know if he is defending or staying with her?
Was it his own mother who abused his daughter to death? What a dysfunctional mess.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

Does anyone know if he is defending or staying with her?
Was it his own mother who abused his daughter to death? What a dysfunctional mess.

We haven't really heard much from her Dad except what the sheriff has said about him.
The sheriff is very supportive of the Dad and has a great deal of sympathy for him.
I'm thinking the sheriff must think he's a pretty good guy.

Yes, it was her Dad's mother who made her run.

 

[Reader]

Ala girl's short life full of turmoil before death

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/usnews/ci_20034803

ATTALLA, Ala.—Savannah Hardin's life was in turmoil long before police say the 9-year-old was run to death by her grandmother and stepmother for allegedly lying about some candy she ate.

Divorce and custody documents filed in family court over a period of several years reflect a history of fractured family relationships, with Savannah's divorced parents fighting over her welfare; claims of mental instability and abuse between her father and his second wife; medical problems that required frequent doctor visits; and counseling for the girl who still somehow managed to remain among the top students in her third-grade class.
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Robert and Savannah's biological mother, Heather Hardin, divorced in July 2006 when she was 3, the records show. The former couple shared custody of the girl, but the mother was her primary caregiver.

Each one of the parents later moved separately to Florida, according to a sworn statement by Robert Hardin. He claimed that Heather Hardin was unfit to care for Savannah.

The Florida Department of Children and Families investigated allegations that Savannah was being mistreated or was living in hazardous conditions at least four times between 2007 and 2009 while living with Heather Hardin in Plant City, Fla., according to documents obtained by The Ledger in Lakeland, Fla., through an open records request. But state officials were unable to find evidence to support the allegations.

Robert Hardin said Savannah began living with him in October 2009. He said they moved northeast of Birmingham in January 2010. Hardin later married Jessica Mae, with whom he had a son, now 3.

Hardin works for the U.S. State Department and lived outside the country, so Jessica Mae and Joyce Hardin Garrard cared for both Savannah and the boy, said a spokeswoman for the Etowah County Sheriff's office, Natalie Barton. Hardin and Jessica split in July 2010, court documents show, with him claiming she had bipolar disorder and alcoholic tendencies. She, in turn, accused him of mental and physical abuse, including pushing her against a wall and throwing her onto a sofa. She also accused him of transferring ownership of the mobile home to Hardin Gerrard to prevent Jessica from getting it in the divorce. Despite claiming they could no longer live together, the couple reconciled by late 2010.
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Sometime during the afternoon of Feb. 17, Joyce Hardin Gerrard allegedly forced Savannah to begin running in the yard outside their trailer. Barton said the grandmother was running the little girl "like a drill sergeant," pushing her to keep running by saying things like "Move it, move it, move it! Go, go, go!"

Barton said there is some evidence that the girl also was picking up sticks and other items in the yard and placing them in a burn pile. A large pile of unburned sticks and other items could be seen Friday behind the family's mobile home.
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While court documents show the girl's biological mother, Heather Hardin, hadn't been able to see her in months, an ex-husband said the woman rushed to Alabama from Florida in time to see Savannah in the hospital before she died. Authorities said an autopsy showed the child was severely dehydrated and had an extremely low level of sodium, which is necessary for the body to prevent seizures and dehydration.

With both Joyce Garrard and Jessica Hardin in police custody, state welfare officials said a relative is now caring for Savannah's younger half-brother. The same person will care for Jessica Mae Hardin's newborn, they said.

Friends and strangers alike have posted scores of messages on a remembrance site set up on Facebook, with many of them saying they wished something could have been done to save Savannah's life.


More at link....

 

[Disguiseduser0308]

I'm still very puzzled as to why Savannah was suffering from VUR so much at her age that she was seeing a pediatric urologist a few times a year. The open surgical ureter re-implantation has a success rate of 99%!

ETA: It's too late for her now. But, I truly believe she didn't need to continue to suffer with the effects of VUR. What were these people doing?

 

[ziggy]

HEARTBREAK. AGAIN. Let someone have your children who will love and care for them please. I would take a sweet little girl who draws horses and clouds any day and who loves chocolate

 

[keeponsearching]

This makes me so angry. That poor little girl running and not being able to drink or rest? I have made my kids run around the house a few times to get energy out, but if they couldn't it would not be a problem. I would like to see those two just do 1 hour of what the girl did, bet they wouldn't make it.

 

[raindrops300]

What a pretty child she was!

 

[lowens1975]

I imagine they did tell her not to eat chocolate. But kids will be kids. Clearly running this child for hours was very wrong, even if she didn't listen to them and ate this candy. This candy wasn't going to kill her.

I'm thinking Jimmy Harp is not going to get what he's charged these two with. Unless he has a statement from Savannah's physician saying that he warned her mother AND grandmother that over exertion could kill her.

Harp enjoys a reputation as being a hard nosed prosecutor. That's not a bad thing. And that is why I'll never understand why he swept the issue of a county tax collecting employee stealing thousands of county funds under a rug for almost two years before the local newspaper made the problem public and even then, they didn't print the female employee's name. I specifically asked Harp who the employee was and he did his usual political weave and bob to a direct question. He kept on asking me 'What good will it do to release it now"? Gee, Jimmy, you think she might apply for a position at a bank sometime? Ha, ha...small town living never changes. :floorlaugh:

I know the area. Those two women have no local political connections and don't live in the Country Club area and neither are married to a prominent attorney, so he's throwing the book at them. Unless he has proof that those two deliberately tried to kill Savannah, what he'll wind up doing is getting is a plea deal for involuntary manslaughter. I hope for Savannah's sake, he can put his money where his mouth is.

 

[helpful]

I apologize for my language, but honestly, WTF is wrong with people?

I read an article about Savannah on CNN that said she was an excellent student and enjoyed school. It makes me so sad and angry to think that she might have actually been able to get out and make a life for herself, but the adults in her life saw to it that she never had a chance.

In the neighborhood I lived in when I was young, a group of three siblings came every summer to visit their mom and stepdad. They were locked out of the house every morning at 7 and not allowed back in until after dark, so they spent a lot of time wandering around the neighborhood talking to any adult who would pay attention to them. Once, one of them explained that they "weren't allowed to eat today" because the youngest had eaten a bowl of cereal without asking.

This story made me wonder what might have happened to them. I guess I probably don't want to know.

 

[waltzingmatilda]

http://m.myfoxal.com/ms/p/a3/856/view.m?id=124279&storyId=17006308&news=Top Stories&news2=Main

Attorney releases statement for Joyce Hardin Garrard

"Joyce Garrard, like the rest of the family, is grieving the loss of their precious Savannah. Ms. Garrard, has been falsley accused of causing Savannah's death. Her case is not going to be tried in the court of public opinion, but will be tried in a courtroom in front of twelve (12) jurors. It is my belief Ms. Garrard will be vindicated at that time and found not guilty of the allegation against her. Even then, Joyce Garrard and her family will continue to grieve over the loss of their beloved Savannah.

Kimberly125, Thanks for posting that. I came here to catch up and discovered that I grew up with the evil grandmother's atty! Talk about 6 degrees of separation! I hope he was court appointed and didn't choose to represent her.

What a beautiful little girl Savannah is! Rest in peace little one. No one will ever hurt you again.

wm

 

[Steely Dan]

Kimberly125, Thanks for posting that. I came here to catch up and discovered that I grew up with the evil grandmother's atty! Talk about 6 degrees of separation! I hope he was court appointed and didn't choose to represent her.

What a beautiful little girl Savannah is! Rest in peace little one. No one will ever hurt you again.

wm

BBM

How well did you know her? What was she like?

 

[waltzingmatilda]

She is a HE, lol! He & my older brother were the same age and attended school together from elementary to HS. They played sports together. He was always a stand up guy and class leader, good student, athelete, level headed, etc. His sister and I were sorority sisters. He comes from a good family.

Of course, I haven't seen he (or his sis) in many years because I moved away but my mom still runs into him once in a while (while about town) and always has nice things to say about him.

wm

 

[lowens1975]

Kimberly125, Thanks for posting that. I came here to catch up and discovered that I grew up with the evil grandmother's atty! Talk about 6 degrees of separation! I hope he was court appointed and didn't choose to represent her.

What a beautiful little girl Savannah is! Rest in peace little one. No one will ever hurt you again.

wm

His father was my mother's divorce attorney back in the 60's

 

[waltzingmatilda]

His father was my mother's divorce attorney back in the 60's

It comforts me to know that I am not the only member of the '6 degrees of separation' club.

Did you grow up in Etowah County also?

ETA Please disregard the question if it is too personal.

wm

 

[lowens1975]

It comforts me to know that I am not the only member of the '6 degrees of separation' club.

Did you grow up in Etowah County also?

ETA Please disregard the question if it is too personal.

wm

Sure did, in "L.A." or Lower Attalla as we called it, and the surrounding area. I try to keep up with what's going on by reading the Gadsden Times online. Am amused at what gets printed nowadays since it was sold a few months back. The Good Ole boy network seems to have had lost some of their stranglehold when that happened. :floorlaugh: I am SO impressed with Florida's "Sunshine Law"...not much gets by that :woohoo:

 

[waltzingmatilda]

Sure did, in "L.A." or Lower Attalla as we called it, and the surrounding area. I try to keep up with what's going on by reading the Gadsden Times online. Am amused at what gets printed nowadays since it was sold a few months back. The Good Ole boy network seems to have had lost some of their stranglehold when that happened. :floorlaugh: I am SO impressed with Florida's "Sunshine Law"...not much gets by that :woohoo:

Ohhh! The stories we could share.

Hooray for the sunshine law, ya!
wm

 

[Kimberlyd125]

http://weis990am.com/np95662.htm

Former State Forensics Lab Operator Mark Hopwood and the Calhoun/Cleburne County Crime Scene Unit of the Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force have been called in to provide assistance in the investigation into the death of 9 year old Savannah Hardin.


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http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20120226/news/120229830

Crime scene unit takes part in Hardin investigation


The investigation into the death of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin is the first time the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office has called on the crime scene investigation expertise of Mark Hopwood and the Calhoun/Cleburne Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

http://www.waff.com/story/17024883/judge-may-unseal-documents-in-hardin-death-case

Judge may unseal documents in Hardin death case

ATTALLA, AL (WAFF) - A judge could unseal some documents in the case of 9-year-old Savannah Hardin's murder.



Monday, Judge Allen Millican will announce whether the court documents pertaining to Savannah's death will be unsealed.

 

[MsFacetious]

An Etowah County circuit judge ordered Monday that all files pertaining to the Savannah Hardin case, with the exception of a single psychological evaluation, are subject to the open records law and will be unsealed.

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The single exception to the open records law is a psychological evaluation of Savannah Hardin....

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/17029263/savanjudge-orders-savannah-hardin-files-unsealed

There are three links on that page... to about 250 pages of court documents.

They didn't redact phone numbers... eek.

 

[raindrops300]

Sure did, in "L.A." or Lower Attalla as we called it, and the surrounding area. I try to keep up with what's going on by reading the Gadsden Times online. Am amused at what gets printed nowadays since it was sold a few months back. The Good Ole boy network seems to have had lost some of their stranglehold when that happened. :floorlaugh: I am SO impressed with Florida's "Sunshine Law"...not much gets by that :woohoo:

And to WM too...

Small world...I grew up in Etowah County also...Glencoe to be exact.