FEBRUARY 25, 2012

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

Authorities say the grandmother became angry when Savannah allegedly ate chocolate, because it contains caffeine, and the girl was not supposed to ingest caffeine given her condition.

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.

The stepmother, Jessica Mae Hardin, didn’t intervene and call 911 until after the girl collapsed about three hours into her ordeal, Barton said. Savannah was taken to an area hospital and then later transferred to a hospital in Birmingham, where she was put on life support. Her father made the decision to disconnect her, and she died Monday.

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. article taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/