Stepmom, grandmother charged in Alabama girl's death
By The Associated Press
This article was published February 22, 2012 at 5:53 p.m.
PHOTO BY AP / ETOWAH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
This combo made from photos released by the Etowah County Sheriff's Dept. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 shows Joyce Hardin Garrard, 46, left, and Jessica Mae Hardin, 27. Garrard and Hardin, grandmother and stepmother of a 9-year-old Alabama girl who died after witnesses said she was forced to run for three hours as punishment for lying, have been charged with murder and are being held in jail.
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Savannah Hardin
GADSDEN, Ala. — The grandmother and stepmother of a 9-year-old Alabama girl who died after witnesses said she was forced to run for three hours as punishment for lying have been charged with murder and are being held in jail.
Witnesses told deputies that Savannah Hardin was told to run and not allowed to stop for three hours on Friday Feb. 17, an Etowah County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman said. The girl’s stepmother, 27-year-old Jessica Mae Hardin, called police at 6:45 p.m., telling authorities that Savannah was having a seizure and was unresponsive.
Authorities are still trying to determine whether Savannah was forced to run by physical coercion or by verbal commands only.
Savannah Hardin died Monday at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.
Authorities said Jessica Mae Hardin and Savannah’s grandmother — 46-year-old Joyce Hardin Garrard — were both arrested and charged with murder after the death was ruled a homicide by a state pathologist.
The sheriff’s release says the autopsy report showed the girl was extremely dehydrated and had a very low sodium level.
The sheriff’s office received calls from concerned citizens who had witnessed the incident. No other details were released, and spokeswoman Natalie Barton said the investigation is ongoing.
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BP1981 says... February 23, 2012 at 4:45 a.m.
Heart wrenching. If I was in charge, these two would get the eye for an eye treatment. Two people that should have protected her at all costs, were the very ones who killed her.
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